Skyborn
by SilverDaye
Summary: Senator Padmé Amidala enjoys spending her time in a bookstore, one made of real flimsi books where each one costs a small fortune. It is there she meets a strange man, Anakin Skywalker, who is searching for long forgotten planet, Kesh. 4,500 years ago a ship crashed on Kesh. The survivors told the natives they were their gods, the Skyborn. Anakin is one of them. [Complete]
1. Chapter 1

Padmé found herself in the bookstore. A true bookstore of old flimsi books. There were shelves and piles of books everywhere. Each one worth a nice sum of credits. Printed books were rare. Flimsi was expensive. Why make books when there were holonovels and holovids? But Padmé loved this store. She especially loved the smell. She stopped, took a deep breath and closed her eyes. No library or archive of holonovels and datapads ever had this wonderful smell.

"It's the books dying," came a man's voice.

Padmé opened her eyes and looked to her left. Standing a bit down the aisle was a man. He was tall and dressed in all black. He seemed to scream Imperial, but his hair was long and wavy instead of kept short in a military style.

"Excuse me?" Padmé asked.

"The smell," he said evenly. "It's the books' materials decaying." He looked over at her. He was gorgeous with a strong chin and cheekbones. But the most telling feature was his eyes. They were golden.

"Ah," Padmé said. The man grabbed a book off the shelf and left. She thought that would be the last she would see of him.

She returned to the bookstore two weeks later when she had some free time in the afternoon. Again she took a moment to savor the smell of the books. There was a sense of reality that holonovels didn't quite have. Perhaps because these words would be forever branded into these pages. There was a permanence here.

There was also that guy. He sat at a small table that was shoved in a corner. A few books were piled at his table, and he was reading one. He was as she had last seen him. All black clothing. The long hair. This time she noticed a scar that slashed along his face next to one of his eyes. He stopped reading and looked up. At once his golden eyes landed on her.

"It's you," he said dryly. She held her head up high and nodded at him.

"I'll admit," she said, "it's rare to see someone in here twice who isn't a collector or trader."

"Which one are you?" he asked.

"Excuse me?"

"Which one are you? A collector or trader?"

"Neither. I'm just an admirer."

He cocked his slightly to the side. His raised a single eyebrow. "I take it you've been to this store on several occasions, and not once you bought a book?"

"No," she replied softly. "They're rather expensive . . ."

He let out a snort. "You cannot afford it, Senator Padmé Amidala of Naboo? Surely if you can afford that fancy penthouse apartment and those gaudy gowns, you can afford a flimsi book."

She glared at him. "What I spend my credits on is none of your business, Mr . . .?"

"Skywalker," he said quickly.

"And yourself Mr. Skywalker?" she asked. "Which one are you? A collector or trader?"

"If I had to pick," he said as he collected his pile of books, "a collector." He took the whole stack and walked down an aisle with towering shelves on either side. She slowly followed him to the front of the store. She peered around a shelf to see him buying the whole stack. That stack had to be worth tens of thousands of credits. The old Togruta man who ran the shop smiled and bowed at Skywalker repeatedly.

After he left, Padmé approached the store owner. "I can't believe he bought all those books," she said.

"Oh he has become quite a good customer," the Togruta replied. "Though I do wonder what it is he's researching in all those books."

"Researching?"

"He seems to be looking up old histories. Old, old histories. The type that are obscure. The type that may have never made it into a holonovel."

Padmé nodded not wanting to look too nosey. She next saw Skywalker again only a few days later. She didn't want to admit, but his words had bothered her. She had always wanted to own one of these real books, but had been indecisive about which one to get. Should she get a history book? A long winded adventure? A prayer book on forgotten mythologies? None of the books had yet to completely strike her interest.

She had collected a small collection and settled down at a table. She had quickly skimmed the first three books. They hadn't kept her attention, but the fourth one had.

"_The Distant White Stars_?"

Padmé looked up. "Mr. Skywalker," she said. "I suppose I shouldn't be surprised, but I am. After you last impressive purchase, you're back again so soon?"

"I have yet to find what I am looking for," he said. He glanced down at book. "Have you?"

"Have I? I'm not . . . researching anything."

"I did not say you were researching. I said you were searching. While else would you come back so often?"

"Since you seem to know so much, Mr. Skywalker, tell me what it is I'm searching for."

He sat down at the chair opposite of her. He placed his elbows on the table and leaned over. "It's easy to tell," he said in a low voice. Padmé found herself leaning in towards him. "You're here whenever you get a free moment. You're not searching for a book, but a story. You haven't found it amongst the bright blue lights of holonovels despite your best efforts. Something is eating you up inside. A hunger you can't quite ease. And my guess?" He paused. Slowly a charming smile spread across his face. "You're looking for a romance."

She jerked her head back as she realized how close she was to him. She could smell him. Feel his warmth. Her cheeks burned red.

"Don't be silly," she said collecting herself. He continued to smile and raised an eyebrow. His eyes purposely darted to her book.

"_The Distant White Stars_. This was before the hyperdrive as we know it was invented. The young woman goes off to explore space. Her messages back to her lover take more and more time to reach him. He is aging faster than she is. Yet he never moves on. Never finds another lover. He dies old and waiting for her next message. She continues on in her days wondering why her lover stop responding to her messages."

Padmé had to pause. "You've read this story?" she asked. "Are you searching for a romance too?"

"No," he said quickly and lowly. "I am looking for a truth."

"Oh?" she asked.

"If you are prying, dear senator, that is all you will get out of me. But if you enjoy that book, might I suggest looking at _The Code of Uka_ or maybe you can find a translated story of a _Brush of Air_."

He placed his gloved hands flat on the table and pushed himself up. He nodded and disappeared. The next visit to the bookstore Padmé looked up both books Skywalker had mentioned.

_The Code of Uka_ was about a system ruled by a monarchy that passed along the females of the bloodline. A young princess was trying to prove she was more than her villainous mother by helping refugees of a planet her mother had ruthlessly conquered. She fell in love with her bodyguard. However, her family was not pleased with her pursuits. So they summoned her back home and put her through intense brainwashing. She returned to the refugees and ordered the army to kill them all. When her lover found her, she begged him to kill her. He did so.

The _Brush of Air_ was just as sad. It was a myth about a goddess of the stars and a god of the earth. However, they could never be together. The sky and clouds constantly keeping them apart. The only time they could touch was when she dipped below the horizon.

Why was Skywalker reading these stories? The shop owner had said he was looking up old obscure histories. Skywalker said he was looking for a truth. An unsolved mystery forgotten by time? There were plenty to be found. The galaxy was old. Civilizations had come and gone. How many had gone unnoticed?

She was sitting down on a bench a week later when Skywalker sat down next to her. He placed a pile of books in his lap. He leaned over. His arm pressing against hers. He looked down at the yellowing page she was reading.

"A rather biased history of the Mirialan Trade Dispute."

She could feel how warm he was. She should lean away or even just push him, but she didn't. She instead became very still.

"Sounds rather dull," he said as he leaned back over into his own space.

"I uh tried those books you recommended," she said. "They were very good. Sad, but good."

She looked over at him. A brilliant smile flashed across his face. Force. He was very good looking.

"Looking for more?" he teased. She couldn't help but blush.

"If you know some more," she said. "Though I am curious as to why you yourself know of such stories."

"My mother," he said a bit sadly. "She was quite an avid reader. These were her favorite stories. She would . . ." He paused and she noticed a bit of red on his cheeks. "She would read these stories and then retell them to me when I was a child."

"Really? Such tales?"

He shrugged.

Padmé asked, "And she could afford such books?"

A sad look crossed his face. "No," he said. "She was . . . tasked with organizing and keeping clean a personal library. She would peak into the books during her long days." A small smile spread across his lips as he clearly thought of his mother. "I would suggest reading _The Priestess of Hotorine_."

The two read side by side on the bench until Skywalker collected his pile of books and left. It wasn't until her next trip she looked at _The Priestess of Hotorine_. In it the priestess had to drink water from a sacred spring to keep herself clean and holy. She falls in love with a traveling smuggler, but tries to fight off her feelings for him. When she finally decides to leave with him off planet, it was revealed she was dying. The sacred spring water had slowly poisoned her body.

Padmé also found a small note hidden inside the page written in a bit of a messy scrawl.

_Try The Blue Expanse of the Tiphon System. -S_

She couldn't help but smile. She found that book. Like the others it was a sad story of star crossed lovers that never got their happy ending. But inside was another note leading to another book. And to another and another. Whenever she saw Skywalker at the store, she would thank him and smile. They would talk briefly of the stories she had read, and then they would both sit side by side and read quietly.

"You know," she said after a few months since they had met, "I still don't know what it is you're looking for in those books. Perhaps I could help you out?"

Skywalker paused. He looked at her. His striking gold eyes seemed to dig into her. It felt he wasn't seeing her on the physical level, but on a spiritual level.

"I am looking for a planet," he said slowly.

"A planet?"

"Kesh."

"Kesh?"

"Yes. It exists out in Wild Space."

"Why are you looking for it? How do you even know it is there?"

He smiled. That smiled sent a shiver up her spine and a twist in her stomach. "My mother was from there."

"And she does not know about her home planet?"

"Oh she knew about it," he explained. "She ran away when she was pregnant. I'm not completely sure what she ran away from. I only know she wanted a better life for me . . ." He sighed.

"So, this is the truth you are looking for? The truth about who you are? Perhaps about your family?"

"Perhaps," he said. "There have been some . . . _interesting_ claims about my father. But perhaps I just want to know more about the place. Problem is I can't find it. My mother never told me its location."

"I take it she's dead," Padmé said softly trying not to sound too crass.

"Yes," he said. "And it's hard to find much of anything about this planet. Doesn't help there is a mid-rim sector known as Kesh."

"Anything I should look for to help you?" she asked.

"The Old Sith Empire after the Great Hyperspace Wars settled on an outer rim planet known as Dromund Kaas. From there the empire rebuilt itself and launched its attack on the Republic in the Great Galactic War. The old Empire eventually dissolved until recently when Emperor Sidious returned the Sith Empire to its proper place in the galaxy."

"Spoken like a true Imperial," Padmé muttered. Skywalker eyed her.

"Not a fan?"

"I was only fourteen when the Republic fell," she explained. "But Naboo is a religiously democratic planet, despite birthing our current Emperor. I still believe in democracy."

He smiled and continued. "Well during the Great Hyperspace War, there was a great Sith dreadnought. The _Omen_. It was mining ore to use for the upcoming invasion of the Republic, but was attacked by Jedi. It was knocked off course in hyperspace and crash landed on the planet Kesh. The surviving Sith crew convinced the natives they were the Skyborn. Gods of the Kesh religion."

"Does this have anything to do with your name?"

He let a small laugh. "Yes it does. I am a descendant of those on board the _Omen_."

"So you are a Sith?" she asked in a low voice. Her heart squeezed in her chest fearing the answer. He didn't respond. He only smiled, and it did not reassure her. There seemed to be a glint of danger in those gold eyes of his. There were only two known Siths in the current Sith Empire. The Emperor Sidious and his heir Darth Vader.

"The _Omen_ crashed on Kesh some 4,500 years ago," he continued. "It is an isolated planet. How my mother got off, I do not know. I only know that she barely escaped with her life. There are no known current routes to the planet. My only hope is that perhaps there is something in old texts such as these." He waved to the shelves around them.

"And once you find its location, what will you do? Go to it? Go be the god they think you are?"

A crooked devilish smile spread across his lips. "Who wouldn't want to be treated like a god?" he asked.

"I wouldn't."

He sighed. "That's a shame," he said. "You would make a fine goddess."

She raised an eyebrow. "Are you flirting with me?"

He leaned in. "What would happen if I say yes?"

His side was pressed against hers. She couldn't help the heat racing through her body as her heart started to pound faster and faster. She glanced down at her lap. One of his hands covered in a smooth leather glove came gently under her chin and tipped her head up so she had to look at him.

"Hmmm?" he purred. He leaned in closer. She could feel him. Smell him. She took a deep breath of it. "You haven't found your story yet. Perhaps it isn't one you'll find in a book."

He was so close. She could feel the breath of his voice against her lips. Then she felt his lips against hers. She gave a small startled jump, but didn't pull away. Instead she leaned into him. His other gloved hand slid up into her hair as he pulled her closer to him.

And then he pulled away. He licked his lips. There was a satisfied look on his face. "I'm afraid it's time for me to go," he said. "Until next time." Then he was gone leaving Padmé alone on the bench in the bookstore. Her fingers came to rest on her lips as she remembered their kiss.


	2. Chapter 2

Padmé found herself at the bookstore the very next day. She had made time to leave early. She hadn't gotten undressed from her Senate gown or redid her hair. But she was determined to be here, and she was not disappointed. Skywalker was there. He paused in his reading as he heard her approach. His eyes widened as they looked up and down at her.

"Well that certainly is a look," he said. She walked over and sat down beside him. "That can't be comfortable," he said as he pushed at her skirts.

She didn't want to say that she didn't want to waste time changing. She didn't want to miss him. It was only after she had settled down that she realized she hadn't even grabbed a book. Skywalker laughed as he realized her dilemma.

"Here," he said. "We can share."

He scooted close to her and wrapped an arm around her waist that pulled her to his side. He held the book open with both black gloved hands and placed it on her lap. She didn't even look at the words, but just enjoyed the proximity of him. She let her head rest against his shoulder. They stayed like that for a while.

"You know," he whispered. "Perhaps tomorrow you could bring a change of clothes with you to work."

She looked at him. That beautiful smile graced his face. Then his gloved hand was sliding up her neck into her hair. The leather was soft and smooth. A delighted shiver ran through her.

"How long does it take to do all of this?" he asked as his hands slid over her complex hairdo.

She opened her mouth to answer, but then gasped. He pulled a pin out. Then another and another. She didn't move. She didn't protest. He dropped the pins into the fabric of her skirt. Finally all the pins were free and he had both hands in her hair massaging her scalp and letting the hair come loose.

"Not that it didn't look nice," he said. "But I like your hair like this."

They were close. So close. She leaned in to him. Her eyes were on his plump lips. They parted open slightly, and she could resist no longer. All day her thoughts had wondered back to him and his lips and his kiss and his tongue and the heat it had created in her. It all came crashing back into her the moment their lips touched again. And again. His hands were tangled in her hair. Her hands wrapped around his neck and pulled him tighter to her.

The book they had been reading fell to the floor with a clatter of hair pins. Neither one cared or stopped. His lips slid off of hers, but he didn't stop with the kissing. He left a trail of kisses off her mouth and down her neck. He took his time as he made his way down her neck. Padmé could only lean her head back and gape in how good it felt.

Finally he pulled away. His gloved hands came up and gently brushed her neck where he had just spent so much attention on.

"I guess tomorrow you might want to wear a higher neckline," he said with a twinkle in his eyes.

She couldn't stop the burning red her cheeks turned. Her hand clapped up to neck. He stood up and stretched. Her eyes ran up and down his body. She wondered what he looked like without those clothes on. He let out a small laugh as if he had read her thoughts. He leaned over and left a small kiss right by her ear.

"Anakin," he whispered. Then he straightened up.

"What?"

"Anakin," he repeated. "That's my name. Anakin Skywalker." He winked and then he was gone.

The next day Padmé did wear a high necked dress to hide the hickey that Anakin had given her. There was a senate session that day with the Emperor in attendance. He gave a long winded speech about the might of the Empire and how the citizens of the Empire should stay ever devoted and diligent else democracy would creep back in. The galaxy would return to the rot and ruin it was in before the Emperor.

Padmé wasn't listening to the Emperor. She was distracted by the shadow that stood behind him. Darth Vader. He stood tall and proud behind the Emperor. His hands clasped behind his back. He wore all black with a long black cloak with the hood up. Over his face he wore a black shiny mask. No one had ever seen Vader's face. At least anyone who had lived to tell the tale.

No one knew much about Vader. He originally appeared at the Emperor's side several years ago. Even then he dressed in black with the mask. He was given military command. He quickly proved his worth. He was a ruthless but intelligent commander. He quickly brought victory to the Empire. He was also a vicious and merciless warrior. He was the Emperor's guard dog. He openly murdered anyone who opposed the Empire. She had seen it happen twice during a Senate hearing such as this.

After the session ended, Padmé sat in her pod for a while as she let the traffic in the hallways die down. She wasn't in the mood for fake smiles and painful small talk. Eventually she got up and exited her Senate pod. She made her way quietly down the hall with one of her handmaids trailing quietly behind.

"Padmé, my dear."

She froze at once. Then slowly she turned.

"Your majesty," she said with a graceful bow. The Emperor was walking down the hall flanked by his bright red guards and of course Darth Vader lurked right behind him.

"Tell me, how is my fair Naboo?" the Emperor asked.

"Enjoying the peace and prosperity of your Empire, your majesty," Padmé said through practiced smoothed words.

The Emperor smiled and nodded. "Good. Good. Please continue to serve my Empire well."

Padmé bowed again as the Emperor walked past her. Her eyes were on the floor when a pair of black boots stopped in front of her. She slowly raised her head to see Darth Vader standing in front of her. The rest of the Emperor's procession had moved on. Her heart pounded in her chest. Why was he standing here? She could feel his eyes on her, and she wished she knew where he was looking.

He brought his hand up to her neck. She flinched. His hand grabbed the high neck of her collar and gently pulled it down. Then she heard it. A chuckle. What was so entertaining- the hickey! She had worn a high necked collar today to hide it, but Vader had exposed it when he pulled the collar down. She stepped back, his hand slid away, and she yanked her collar back up. Her cheeks were burning red. Vader watched her for a second more before he quietly and swiftly walked down the hall to join the Emperor. Padmé glared at his back as he went.

She had followed Anakin's advice and brought a change of clothes to work. That way she was able to save time and head to the bookstore. A warm smile grew across her lips as she found him sitting on the bench. He looked up, honey gold eyes meeting hers, and a breathtaking smile grew upon his lips.

They didn't even bother with the pretenses this time. He practically threw the book to the side as he opened his arms. At once she was there. He pulled her into her lap and she wrapped her arms around him. In less than a second their lips were together. Their tongues enjoying and exploring each other. His hands slid up and down her sides. Then he got daring as he hands slid low down her back. Very low. Her squeezed her. She let out a gasp, and he gave her a guilty but pleased smile.

She thought that she could also play at this game. Her hands quickly slid down his sides and around his back. By her _gods_, he had a nice body. Their hands continued to explore each other. His hands ventured up along her stomach and to her breasts. Then he got a bit daring and his hand slid under her skirt. She felt the smooth leather of his glove hand slide up along her thigh. She shivered and let out a small moan.

Then his comlink beeped. His hands disappeared and he groaned.

"Ignore it," she said kissing his lips.

"I can't," he grumbled. He sighed as he looked at her. He left a quick kiss on her lips. "I have to go." Then he gently lifted her off his lap and he was gone.

It wasn't until two days later she saw him again. He wasn't at the bookstore when she arrived. She was looking at a shelf trying to find the next book in his little scavenger hunt when he walked up behind her. He placed his hands on her hips. His lips rested right in the crook of her neck.

"Hello," he said in low whisper.

She could feel his lips move as he talked. But then his lips were doing more than just talking. He was kissing her. He lingered on the spot where he had previously left a hickey. But then his lips were moving up. She turned to meet him. Their lips quickly pressed together. He pulled her tighter to him. His hands ran up her stomach and to her breasts. He squeezed them and she couldn't help but moan.

She sighed as her body heated up, and she felt like melting in his arms. She was getting warmer and warmer. She leaned into him, which meant her entire backside was pressed against his front. He was so warm. His lips were amazing. His hands felt wonderful as they played with her. She spun herself around, tightly wrapped her arms around his neck, latched one leg around his waist, and pulled him to her.

No words were needed. His hands were under her skirt, and he unlatched his pants. Their lips were constantly touching the other. And then he was inside her. She arched her back into the bookshelf and moaned softly as he started to move. A few books fell off the shelf. They clattered to the ground. The smell of books was all around her.

It was a musty smell mixed with hints of leather and vanilla. There was something earthy about it. There was also hints of a sharp chemical smell of the inks. But then she can also smell _him_. There was something woodsy about him. Like the smell of fresh cut timber or woodsmoke. There was also something sweet as if he was wearing cologne. And also something that caused her to get goosebumps on her arms. Something metallic. Something dangerous. It made her think of blood.

She had to bite down her moans as he continued to slide into her. It was a fight, because he felt so good. She wanted to moan. She wanted to curse. She wanted to shout, but she kept it all inside of her. It was hardest when she climaxed. She leaned over and bit into his shoulder to keep the scream from coming out. Then it was just their panting as the two fought to catch their breath.

That night when she had returned to her apartment alone, she couldn't believe she had had sex in such a place. She had just been caught up in the heat of the moment. And yet the very next day she found herself bent over a small table in a back corner of the book store. Her skirts were pushed up around her waist. Anakin grabbed her exposed hips as he pounded into her from behind.

And it happened again two days later. And yet a fourth time. All in the bookstore. The old owner never said a word. Never gave a knowing smile and nod. He was unphased as always. Surely he had to know. Now when Padmé saw the owner, she had to duck her head low and hide her burning cheeks. But after that fourth time, Anakin Skywalker didn't show up. It wasn't odd for Padmé to go a few days without seeing him. The longest had been a week. But a week had come and past. Then two weeks. Now three.

It was during this long wait that she realized she had been having an affair in a bookstore with a man she knew nothing about. Who was Anakin? What did he do? He clearly recognized her. She tried researching him, but no matter where she looked there was no record of Anakin Skywalker. Had he decided to start shopping at another store? This wasn't the only old flimsi bookstore on Coruscant. But somehow she knew that wasn't the case.

So she she looked into the only lead she did have on him, she started to look for the planet Kesh. After two weeks of looking and five weeks after she had last seen Anakin, she still had nothing. Oh she had looked. She had looked in trade agreements, peace treaties, scientific journals, and even at slave trade records. Nothing. She was frustrated and lonely. It was making her stomach tie in knots when she thought of him sometimes.

She decided to go home to Naboo for a quick visit; however, the itch to keep looking for Kesh hadn't died down. She looked in bookstores and archives in Theed. Again, she found nothing. Finally she turned to her father for advice. Ruwee Naberrie was a microeconomics professor at Theed University.

"I've never heard of a planet named Kesh," Ruwee said to his daughter. "But I can ask around the university."

It was only two days later when Ruwee came back from work with a leather book. He had a huge smile on his face as he handed it to her. The book's pages were uneven and stuffed with other papers. As Padmé opened it, she realized it was a journal. Her father explained he had asked around the history department. One of the archaeologist professors gave him the journal.

Padmé stayed up all night reading it. It was everything Anakin was looking for. It was a journal of human male named Cassus. He was a tomb raider. He went around the galaxy digging up old and ancient sites to find artifacts to sell. It also meant he often went into deep unknown space looking for planets. Thus this was how he came to Kesh.

_I was brought before the Skyborn_, the journal read. _They were the gods of this planet, but they looked like ordinary humans to me. The majority of those on this planet were purple humanoids. I was met by Lady Sundancer. I was surprised when she excused the guards leaving the two of us alone. She asked me who I was and how I had come to this planet. I told her the truth. _

_She smiled at me and said she had a proposition. She would give me back my ship, let me leave the planet, if I did her a favor. She would present me to the other Skyborn as an offworlder. Once there I was to slip some poison into Lord Cloudweaver's drink. Cloudweaver's wife had recently won favor with Grand Lord Skywalker, the ruler of the Skyborn and thus the planet. _

_I asked Lady Sundancer why she simply did not want me to poison Lady Cloudweaver's cup instead. She explained that it was tradition amongst the Skyborn that if the lord died, than his wife would follow in death as well. This was to prevent fighting from breaking out. It seemed like a cruel custom, but I did not question it. _

There was no other mention of the name Skywalker. But one mention was enough. Skywalker had been the high lord of the Skyborn. The ruler of the planet. So how was Anakin Skywalker connected? Did he belong to this same Skywalker family? Anakin wasn't just a god, he was a lord of the gods.

Her time on Naboo ended and she returned to Coruscant and the senate. It had been eight weeks when she finally saw Anakin again. He was asleep on the bench that they had shared so many times including the last time she had seen him. Though that time they hadn't gotten much reading done. Her cheeks burned as she recalled that particular memory.

He was too tall for the bench, so one leg hung off awkwardly. The other he had hanging over the armrest. She walked up to him quietly and just looked at him. There was a small fear inside of her that perhaps he wasn't real. He was just another story she had read of doomed lovers. She sat down on the floor next to the bench. Slowly she leaned over and rested her head against his side. She listened to his breathing and the strong beat of his heart. She let his heat warm her up. He was real.

She woke up when she felt his hand gently going through her hair. She groggily pushed herself up. He sat up as well and pulled her to him. She settled onto his lap. There had been so much she wanted to tell him. How she was angry about his disappearing without a word. How she didn't know how to contact him. How she knew nothing else about him. How she found the journal. But it all washed away when his lips pressed against hers.

Then his hands were all over her. Her hands were all over him. She knew where this was going. "Not here," she murmured. She stood up and grabbed his hand. He followed her easily out of the store, to her speeder, and then into her apartment. They wasted no time in taking each other's clothes off and falling into bed.

For the first time she was able to fully enjoy him. She was able to shout and moan his name. She was able to let her hands touch all of his skin. His golden skinned body was sculpted and beautiful. She kissed every bit of it. She could see him as a god. Sitting amongst marble statues of himself as his worshipers bowed in front of him.

But tonight he was worshipping her. He said her name over and over again with such tenderness it warmed her heart each time. He pleasured her again and again. Each time she had never felt an orgasm that strong. She thought nothing could surpass it, but she was quickly proven wrong.

She awoke tangled up in his arms. He was already awake. His gold eyes watching her. He whispered sweet praises about her. She couldn't help but giggle. They found themselves enjoying a late breakfast. It was only then that Padmé remembered the journal.

"I have something for you," she said.

Anakin raised an eyebrow. He was wearing only a blue satin robe. Padmé fetched the journal and opened to the mark page where Cassus had talked about Skywalker. Anakin took the book and his eyes scanned the page. Then they stopped. His eyes went back to the top and read it again. He was silent for a long time.

"Where . . . where did you find this?" he finally whispered.

"My father is a professor at Theed University," she said. "A fellow professor had this."

His eyes were so wide. "Do you . . . Do you know how long I've looked for this?" he asked.

She shrugged and smile. "It's yours," she said. "Hopefully there is something in there for you to find your planet."

"Would you come with me?" he asked.

"What?"

"Would you come with me? If I found it. Kesh. Would you come with me?"

"Why . . . why?"

"You helped me find it," he whispered. "You should come see it."

She should have said no. Instead she said, "Yes."


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: **_A few have mentioned how fast this story is moving. This was originally written as a one-shot. This a prompt provided to me by Praetor-Canis__. However, the one-shot got longer and longer, so I decided to cut it into chapters. _

* * *

Of course Anakin found it. Somewhere within Cassus's journal Anakin found the secret location of Kesh. Padmé's stomach was in knots the entire journey.

"What if this goes wrong?" she whispered. The ship had just exited hyperspace. The two stood in the cockpit looking down at the planet. Anakin leaned over and grabbed her hand. He squeezed it.

"I'll protect you," he said.

He piloted the ship down towards the planet. It was very odd there were no hail calls to their com. Then again it didn't seem like the planet got much interstellar travel. It wasn't until they were in the atmosphere that a call finally came through asking who they were. They were directed to fly towards a massive castle that sat on a cliff.

The structure stole Padmé's breath away. Never had she seen anything like it. A tall tower stood in the center. Walls swirled out from it and spun into smaller towers. It gave everything a certain organic look as if the castle had been grown instead of built. It was mostly built out of a light grey and white stone, but large areas were made of golden metal and an opaque white crystal. When the sunlight hit the walls, the crystal seemed to glow while the gold bounced the light around.

"Gods indeed," Padmé whispered. Anakin flashed her a smile as he brought the ship down onto a manicured lawn in the middle of an ornate garden in a courtyard of the castle.

It wasn't long until lines of troops wearing dull silver amor marched up to the ship. Leading the group was a human-looking man. Hanging from his belt appeared to be a lightsaber. Padmé looked over at Anakin. He was quiet and studious.

"Now what?" Padmé asked.

"Wait here," he said.

Then he was gone. She watched as he confidently walked out onto the lawn and approached the lead man. The two talked for a while. Padmé wished she could hear what they were saying. The Keshian man seemed surprised and then angry, yet Anakin always remained calmed. Eventually the Keshian man calmed down and nodded. He waved his hand at the ship. Then Anakin turned and waved giving her a clear signal to come down.

Padmé was unnerved at how easily the Keshians seemed to welcome Anakin. They smiled and gave introductions. They welcomed their 'lost son' home. They gave the two of them nice luxurious rooms in the palace that were next door to each other. They even supplied elaborate clothing in the Keshian style. She tried to deny the clothes as she had brought her own, but the servants insisted that she wear the clothes for dinner. Padmé relented and had them dress her.

She regretted it. The dress was tight all the way down to her knees where it flowed out in a wide skirt. Gold beading completely covered the dress in intricate designs that brought out her curves. She wore a heavy necklace that was draped with white crystals. Her hair was spun up into in a fancy headpiece that also draped golden beaded strands that ended in teardrop crystals.

When she met in Anakin in the hallway, his eyebrows shot straight up. Then a huge goofy grin spread across his face. She scowled at him. However she did note he had also been dressed up. Like her, he wore all gold. A thick heavy metal collar hung around his throat. A long gold cloak fell from it. Underneath it he wore a very tight gold shirt and dark gold pants. The fabric of his shirt was like liquid and easily showed off his muscles underneath.

"Gold is the color of the Skywalker family," he said. "These outfits are from family's vault." His eyes traveled up and down her. "Though I can't imagine my mother ever wearing such a daring outfit."

He took her arm and the servants led them to the great hall. A huge feast had been prepared. The hall was filled with other humans all dressed in elaborate outfits. All in only a single color. No one else wore gold. They were then introduced to the Grand Lord, the ruler of the Skyborn. She was a middle aged woman who wore all bright purple. She introduced herself as Malini Duskbreaker.

"And so the Skyborn are graced with a new Skywalker," she said. "We thought the line lost, but here the fates have delivered you back to us."

Anakin bowed deeply. "Thank you, your grace," he said.

"Tell me what are you plans now that you are here?" she asked.

"Nothing ambitious," Anakin said. "I merely wished to know my family's history. Know our customs. I have no interest in reviving the Skywalker house. I have a life now beyond this planet."

He glanced down to Padmé and smiled. Malini followed his gaze as well.

"You are most welcome here amongst your kin," Malini said. "Please stay for as long as you wish."

That night Padmé pulled Anakin into her room. "Something is wrong here," she hissed. "They're far too trusting."

Anakin smiled. "Oh I know that," he said. "They want something from me."

"They do?" she asked. "Like what?"

"I don't know," he mused as he placed a hand on her hip. She shivered. "But I'll find out."

His other hand wrapped around her waist as well. He leaned over and kissed her.

"How long did it take you to get into this?" he whispered against her lips.

"Too long," she replied.

"I bet taking it off will be a lot quicker," he said with a devilish smile.

As their days continued, Padmé and Anakin often spent their time apart. She spent her days with the other Skyborn ladies, especially those not of the seven high houses. They were far more open and eager to talk. Each night after dinner, Anakin would come to Padmé's room and they would share what they had learned.

So far they learned that Anakin's father, Ananta Skywalker, had been the previous Grand Lord. The Skyborn were governed by the Circle of Lords, which was made up of seven Skyborn families. Only those from seven high houses could be elected as the Grand Lord. Yet despite that, the Skywalkers held the title far more than any other house. In fact it was rare when a Skywalker didn't hold the title.

Padmé had learned from the ladies of the lower houses that Ananta Skywalker had been murdered. The blame had been placed on the Starkiller family, another high lord house and rival to the Skywalkers. The Starkiller family had been eradicated for their crimes. Yet none of the other Skyborn seemed too phased by this. In fact they seemed glad that the Skywalkers had been ended.

"What about Ananta's wife? Anakin's mother? Why couldn't she lead the Skywalker family when he died?" Padmé had asked. The ladies all shared a look.

"It is custom that when a Grand Lord dies, the Grand Consort most follow him in death," one lady explained.

"She was pregnant," Anakin said when Padmé told him the tale. "So she ran. Somehow she got on a ship and fled the planet."

Padmé was sitting next to him on the bed. She ran a hand through his hair. He was tense. There was a fire in his golden eyes that made them seem to glow.

"She did it for you," she whispered.

He took a sharp breath. "I know," he said as he released his anger. "I know."

There wasn't much left of the Skywalker estate. Much of their fortune had been divided amongst the other high families. Even their grand house had been handed over. The only thing that remained were the clothes as no other family dared to take up gold as their family color. Padmé wondered why they hadn't simply thrown the clothes away. Perhaps they were kept as reminders or in case someone else decided to use the gold.

Anakin's first guess as to what the Skyborn wanted from him was his ship. They wanted a way off the planet.

"Why not just kill use and take the ship then?" Padmé asked.

"Who would fly it?" he asked. "They have no idea how to fly a spaceship."

Kesh was devoid of ships, but it left a rather big mystery as to how Anakin's mother had found one and gotten off planet. The ladies loved to ask Padmé about the galaxy beyond Kesh. Apparently Anakin got asked a lot of questions as well. But they never asked about the ship or how to fly it. Plus even though the Keshians did seem curious, they also seemed to be a bit uninterested in the wider universe.

"They like what they have going on here," Anakin said one night. "They have power and wealth. If they go beyond this planet, they may lose all of that." So they were still left wondering why they wanted Anakin to stay.

Padmé had discovered the castel's library. It appeared the Keshians stuck to flimsi books. She guessed they didn't have the resources to make a lot of holonovels. Perhaps they never had the technology. Regardless, the library was filled with paper books. It was huge, multi stories, and rivaled some of the large holo archives she had visited in her lifetime.

Just browsing through the library she learned a good deal about the Skyborn and the Keshians. There were large sections on the history of the Sith and the Skyborn in various formats. Some were very dry simple recounts. Some were long-winded poetry with tons of flowery language. There were plays talking about Sith wars of old, all of which the Sith were eventually victorious. There was a clear bias in these books.

As far as fictional stories went, there was a good selection, but they mirrored the non-fiction material. Again it heavily featured the Skyborn. Very little focused on non Skyborn including the purple humanoid native Keshians or even other races. The planet clearly at one point had established intergalactic travel. Though they were few in number, there were a few other alien races such as Wookies, Twi'leks, Rodians, Weequays, and Ithorians.

Of course Padmé had found the romance books. Many featured lovers of different families falling in love and having to overcome their families to be together. One or two even had members within the same family falling in love. She found a book called the _The Eternal Embrace_

In it the story, the high lord was from the Tempestmaker family. However, he was poisoned by a servant and died. His wife was forced to follow him in death and was killed as well. Their daughter was taken in by another family, but her she was treated poorly, as if she was a slave. Before her parent's death, she had been in love with another Skyborn youth. A young man who was a commander in the military. The young man also loved the woman.

However, to marry the young Tempestmaker girl would be social suicide due to her family's fall from grace. His family urges him to marry the current High Lord's daughter instead. This girl is also in love with the young commander, but knows he is in love with the Tempest girl. In the end the commander and the Tempestmaker girl run away to be together, but are caught. The two were buried alive together. Sometime later the tomb was reopened and they found the two skeletons holding each other.

She found a small piece of flimsi paper tucked deep into the book towards the end of the story. She took it out. It was a handwritten note. Most of it was smeared, but it she could clearly read a part of it: _To my beloved Shmi. 32-5-6-7. -MS_

Shmi? As in Lakshmi? Anakin's mother? The note reminded her of the notes Anakin would leave her in the bookstore. Had he gotten the idea from his mother? Who was MS? Anakin's father was named Ananta Skywalker.

She kept the note and showed it to Anakin that night. His eyes went wide and sparkled.

"I'll admit," he said. "I got the idea of a scavenger hunt from my mother. These numbers tell where the next book is located in the library."

"But who is MS?" Padmé asked.

"I'm not sure," Anakin said. "She never mentioned anyone with these initials."

About their sixth day on the planet, Padmé was sitting in a small garden with the Skyborn ladies. She was trying to figure out the library code of where to find the next book, when an elderly woman arrived with a small retinue of handlers and servants. At once everyone jumped up and bowed.

"High Lady Cloudweaver," they greeted.

Padmé followed suit as she didn't want to insult anyone.

"I've come to meet Lakshmi's offspring," Lady Cloudweaver said as she walked up to Padmé.

"I'm not Anakin," Padmé explained.

"I know that girl," Cloudweaver snapped. "But you are carrying his children." She pointed to Padmé's stomach.

At once Padmé felt the color drain from her. Her hands went to her stomach and she glanced down.

"Ex-excuse me?" she asked.

"You did not know?" Cloudweaver asked. "I suppose you wouldn't since you not a Force sensitive. But you are pregnant with Skywalkers. They shine so brightly in the Force it is hard to ignore."

"They-they?" Padmé managed to squeak out.

"Twins, girl," the lady said. "There are two of them inside of you."

The other ladies all whispered behind their hands. Padmé excused herself and hid inside her room for the rest of the day. When Anakin finally came, she was upon him the moment he stepped into the room.

"Did you know?" she snapped.

He was unphased. He crossed his arms across his chest and smiled.

"Congratulations to you too," he said.

"Did you know?" she asked again her anger rising.

"Yes," he said. His smile had yet to fade.

"Since when?"

"Since the night you gave me the journal."

"That long?" She couldn't believe him!

"Padmé," he said softly as he walked up to her. His hands were outstretched ready to take her into his arms.

"No!" she shouted. She marched right up to him and put her arms on his chest. She pushed him.

"Padmé?" he asked with a small chuckle. "What are you doing?"

"Out!" she shouted as she pushed him through the door and slammed it.

She didn't leave her room the rest of the day. The next morning Grand Lady Malini Duskbreaker came to Padmé's room. She stood with a straight back and looked over Padmé. She looked unamused.

"Lady Padmé," she asked. "Are you married to Lord Skywalker?"

"Married? Gods no," Padmé replied.

Malini flinched. "This is strongly against our values," she said. "A proper Skyborn must be born to wed parents."

"I am not a Skyborn," Padmé reminded them.

"Clearly," Malini said with her voice dripping with disgust. "Regardless a wedding has been planned in two days time."

"What?" Padmé shouted. "A wedding? Now wait! You cannot-"

"I can," Malini said, her gold eyes flashing. "I am the Grand Lady here. You will obey my orders and that of the Circle of Lords. It has been decided." With that she sharply turned around and left Padmé alone.

It wasn't long before Anakin came to her room. She said nothing. Just glared at him.

"Padmé," he said. "I understand you're upset." He paused as he looked at her. "But-"

"Don't you dare say it!" she hissed at him. "I can't believe you actually want to go along with this!"

He sighed and shook his head lightly. "Padmé," he said softly. "I think it's for the best that we do. It's not like it will be for real. This isn't the Empire."

"But it's still a wedding," she snapped.

He slowly walked over to her as she was a dangerous animal ready to bite at any moment. He stopped right in front of her.

"I think whatever it is these Skyborn want, has to do with my father. My family. My blood," he explained. Padmé sucked in a sharp breath as a coldness settled inside her stomach. "My family descends from the captain of the _Omen_, Yaru Korsin. He was the first Grand Lord. When they mentioned you were pregnant . . . well there were whispers and exchanged glances."

Padmé took a small step forward and Anakin quickly wrapped his arms around her. "What do you mean?" she whispered.

"I think my family had a secret," he said. "They had access to something only those of their bloodline could access. When my father was killed and my mother fled, they lost access to whatever it was. This is why they have welcomed me back so openly."

"But if they have someone else of your bloodline, someone they don't need to convince . . ." she said in a hushed tone. She stopped and stared up at him. His face was pulled down into a frown.

"We can leave," she said. "Right now. We can jump on the ship and leave this all behind. Leave this planet and the Skyborn and whatever treasure your family had."

"I can't," Anakin said.

She stepped away from him. "Why? Why stay here? Why go through the wedding? Don't you care about our children?"

"I do," Anakin said. "And this is exactly why I must stay. Why we must stay and go through the wedding. I intend to find whatever this treasure is and then I will destroy it."

He clenched his hand into a fist. His eyes burned gold. The room seemed to grow colder and Padmé shivered.

"Anakin," she said softly. "Are you . . . Are you a Sith?"

She had asked him this once, and he had avoided the question. Here on Kesh the high families prided themselves on being Sith. Each head of the high families held a lightsaber. And Skywalker had been one of those families. No doubt Ananta Skywalker had held a lightsaber.

Anakin titled his head. He was no longer as angry as he was. "And if I said I was?" he said in a dark smooth voice. It sent a shiver up Padmé's spine. "What would you do?"

"You can't be . . ." she whispered. "The only Sith in the Empire are the Emperor and Darth Vader . . ."

He stepped up to her, closing the gap between them. "Hmmm," he purred. "That is true."

His hand came to rest right on the base of her neck. Then he leaned over and kissed her neck. And kissed and kissed.

"Anakin, stop," she said weakly. He was sucking on her neck. "You're going to leave a mark."

He pulled away. There was a dark smile on his lips. "I know," he said in a low voice. He leaned back over and started kissing her neck again.

But her mind was tumbling over itself as she recalled the previous time he had done this. How she had to hide the hickey. How Darth Vader had pulled her collar down and laughed.

"Anakin . . ." she whispered. Her voice barely coming out. "Are you . . . are you Darth Vader?"

His kisses started to go up her neck. Then to side of her chin and on to her cheek. Then his lips found hers. Then finally he leaned back with a perfectly satisfied look.

"Yes," he said.

A soft gasp escaped her lips.

"But . . . that would mean," her eyes glanced down at her stomach. At her children. _His_ children.

"That these two little ones are the heirs to the Empire?" he asked with a smile.

Her mouth hung open. She wanted to say something, anything, but she had no words. What could she say? She had been sleeping with _Darth Vader_? And now was pregnant with his children?

"I won't let anything harm them," Anakin said in a soft voice. His hand rested on her stomach. "Or you. This is why I need to destroy the Skywalker treasure or whatever it is." His other hand rested against her cheek. His thumb gently caressed her. "Please, Padmé," he whispered. "Believe me. I'm trying to do what is best. Not just for me, but for _us_."

She was still at a lost of words, so she nodded and rested her head against his chest. He wrapped his arms around her and held her for a long while.


	4. Chapter 4

Padmé may have been at a loss of words the previous night, but the next morning she was fired up. To all nine hells was she going through with this scheme. She wasn't going to wrap herself or her unborn children up in the Skyborns' schemes. Anakin could deal with his lost family treasure himself. She dressed in her old clothes, a comfortable pair of pants, boots, and jacket. Then she made her way to the courtyard where they had first arrived and . . .

There was no ship. There was no ship! She looked around. It wasn't there. Had the Skyborns taken it? Surely not. Anakin said they couldn't fly. But Lakshmi Skywalker somehow managed to get a ship off this planet. Did she know how to fly? And if so how?

She marched through the castle. She drew stares and whispers wherever she went. She found Anakin lounging with other Skyborn lords. They were playing some card game.

"Anakin!" she shouted. At once everyone looked up. Upon seeing who had interrupted their game and how she was dressed, many of the Skyborn frowned and grew angry. Anakin eyes widened in surprise and ran over to her.

"Padmé?" he whispered. "What's wrong? Why are you dressed like this?"

"This is my normal dress," she hissed at him. "_You_ are the one dressed weird." She jabbed a finger at his chest. He was dressed in the Skywalker gold.

"Lord Skywalker?" one Skyborn called. "What is wrong with Lady Padmé?"

"Nothing," Anakin called over his shoulder. He put his arm around her shoulder and led her away to a private corner. "What is wrong? What are you doing?"

"Where's the ship?"

Anakin paused as he straightened up. "The ship?" he asked after a moment to collect himself.

"It's no longer in the courtyard," she said.

"Oh. I moved it," he said.

"When? Where is it" she asked.

Anakin crossed his arms across his chest. "Why do you want to know? Is there something you need on there?"

"Yes," she snapped.

"Very well. Tell me what is, where I can find, and I will bring it to you."

"No. I want to be away from this all. Away from this place and these people."

"Away from the wedding?" Anakin asked with a slight smile. "Prenuptial nerves?"

Her eyes went wide. Her nose flared. He leaned over. His hand gently grasped her chin. His thumb ran along her lips.

"And what were going to do with my ship?" he said in a low husky voice. "Leave me here?"

"Of course not," she said taking a step back and out of his grasp. "I was just going to wait on the ship while you sorted out your family nonsense."

"That would be boring."

"Where is the ship, Anakin?"

"Hmmm. Not telling." he said with a full smile.

She smacked his chest with her hand.

He only laughed. "I for one, am looking forward to our wedding." He leaned forward and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. He turned and left leaving a fuming Padmé alone in the hall.

She retreated to the library for the rest of the day. She used her anger to power her search to unlock the code, which she did. The numbers correlated to a specific spot on a bookshelf. The numbers ran in order of which bookshelf, which segment, which shelf, and how many books over it was from the side. The code led her to a book called _Blood and Water_.

The book featured a couple named Laneth and Cohen, both Skyborn. Like many stories involving the Skyborn, there was betrayal and death. Laneth was an illegitimate daughter of the Raincrafter family. Cohen was from the Noonslayer family. Lady Raincrafter, shamed by her husband's affair, decided to kill young Laneth. Lord Raincrafter had the girl spirited away off to a native Keshian village far from the Skyborn castle in order to spare her life.

There were humans that had come to Kesh along with the other sentient races, so it wasn't odd to see a non-purple human amongst the purple native Keshians. Laneth was eventually discovered by an old woman of the Snowsinger family. She took Laneth in as a maid back at the castle. Old lady Snowsinger wanted revenge against the Noonslayer family, who she blamed for the death of her son and daughter-in-law.

Laneth was introduced to Cohen. Through the scheming of Snowsinger, they made it so Laneth was the perfect match for Cohen. He fell in love with her, and Laneth, despite her wishes, fell in love with him in return. But Snowsinger demanded that the Noonslayers be killed, and that Laneth go through the deed as a favor for having "saved her" from the village. Snowsinger invited the Noonslayers over for dinner under the pretense to discuss a marriage between Laneth and Cohen. The estate was decorated in many bouquets of white and yellow flowers to represent the union of the two houses.

As the discussion started, heaters placed under the vases of the flowers were turned on. They heated the liquid in the vases, which was not water. It was a chemical mixture that when heated released poison. Old lady Snowsinger stayed near the window to avoid breathing in the fumes, but Laneth stayed right beside Cohen holding his hand. The two died together.

Padmé wasn't surprised to find a note tucked away in the book. It read: _Ananta? Lignan? -MS _What did this note mean? It wasn't addressed to anyone, but it was from the same MS as the note before. The same handwriting. Plus it was in the book that the code from the previous MS note led to.

Ananta's name was clear. But who was Lignan? Had Lakshmi been plotting against the Skywalkers? Against Ananta? It wasn't that far fetched considering all the stories and histories of the Skyborn. They were all about battles, betrayals, and death. The families of the Skyborn were constantly trying to take the others down.

An idea suddenly came to her. She rushed across the library into the nonfiction section. She scanned the books until she found what she was looking for. A census record of the Skyborn from twenty-five years ago. She looked through the families searching. Daystealer, Stormpainter, Dawndancer, Fogsailor, Midnightfighter, Starkiller- Starkiller! She looked along the Starkiller family tree. There she found it. Marek Starkiller. _MS_. He would have been close in age to Lakshmi.

Had Lakshmi collaborated with the Starkillers to take down the Skywalker family down? Was she playing the role Laneth? Seducing Ananta to marry her so she could in turn kill him? But . . . But killing Ananta would mean she would die as well! The two were married! Why did she marry him? Perhaps she had no choice. Ananta was the High Lord. Maybe she couldn't refuse. Or . . . maybe she really loved Ananta.

No wonder Lakshmi was so taken with these sad stories. Whether she loved Marek or Ananta, her love life had ended in ruins. What was Padmé's fate? Was she and Anakin doomed like so many of the Skyborn before?

Padmé was still thinking of this as the day of the wedding came. The servants helped her into the golden dress that had been Anakin's mother's wedding dress. It was a light almost white gold. A lace collar wound its way up Padmé's neck and down to her shoulders. A thin see-through train fell down from the shoulder lace and trailed a few feet behind her.

The bodice was tight and pushed up her breasts. Delicate lace and beading curved around her breasts and plunged down to exposed belly button. The dressed tightly hugged her bottom before it flared out around her thighs. The headpiece was a crown made of delicate curling gold vines with light gold metal flowers with small pearls in the center. Small thin lines of beads cascaded off the crown in front of Padmé's face.

Anakin was dressed in a suit of gold. His top was open to reveal his chest. Padmé swore they had applied gold glitter to his toned body. She couldn't help but smile as she took his hand at the altar. The ceremony was held on a vast cliff were a large pyramid temple sat. It reminded her of the old Jedi Temple on Imperial Center. Anakin explained it was a Sith shrine. The ceremony took place on the large outside steps. The Skyborn, dressed in their glitter, stood on the sides of the steps.

Once the ceremony was over, the priest led Anakin and Padmé into the shrine. He motioned for them to step forward. Then he quietly turned around. There was a loud thud as the heavy doors of the temple shut once he was out.

"Now what?" Padmé asked.

The place was lit by hundreds of candles.

"We are to . . . ahem, consummate our marriage," Anakin said.

Her head turned slowly as she looked up at him.

"_What_?"

"That is the tradition," he explained with a shrug.

"I'm already pregnant," she snapped at him. "There is no point in that."

"The doors won't open until tomorrow morning," Anakin said glancing back over at the thick doors.

"Seriously?"

"Come," he said as he took her hand and led her into the Temple.

They followed the trail of candles until they came to large bedroom. A large bed was surrounded by flowers and candles. Fresh food and drinks sat on a nearby table. Padmé at once dubbed the room the love chamber. She wondered how clean the place was. How many other Skyborn couples had come here to copulate after their wedding?

Anakin had left her to pick at the food on the table. She slowly made her away around the room. She noticed a trunk and lifted it to find a change of clothes. She thanked her Nubian gods. At once she started to pull the pins out of her hair that held up the heavy headpiece. She felt much better once it was gone.

Anakin had wondered over and helped her out of the rest of her outfit. She slipped into a soft white dress and fuzzy slippers. Anakin also switched out of his wedding clothes into a soft white shirt and pants.

"Let's go explore," he said with a smile.

"Really?"

"Would you rather we stay here?" he asked with a grin and a nod at the bed.

Padmé looked over her shoulder at the bed and fought back a shudder.

"No, let's go," she said.

They each took a long candle as they walked into the dark of the temple. The hallways were tall. Often towering two to four stories up into the air. Statues of tall humanoid figures in robes lined the hall. The rooms they discovered were rather empty, so they kept moving lower and lower.

"Is this how you thought your story would go?" Anakin suddenly asked.

Padmé jumped from the sound of his voice echoing off the walls.

"You were looking for a story in the bookstore," he said. "Is this how you imagined yours would go? Falling in love with the heir to the Empire. Exploring lost Sith temples."

She huffed. "Falling in love?" she asked.

He stopped. "Of course," he said confidently. Perhaps a bit arrogantly. "You didn't find that journal and come here simply because you were bored."

"You're saying it's love?"

"Yes."

"And for you?"

He just looked at her.

"Is it love for you?"

He walked over her. A hand came up and gently rested in her hair. He slowly pulled it down as he stroked her hair.

"Yes," he said. His eyes were looking directly into hers. "It's always been love for me."

She opened her mouth to ask him what that meant, but he had stepped away. She stood there unmoving for a long moment. Was what he said true?

"Padmé!" Anakin shouted down the hall.

She followed his shout. He stood in a door hidden behind a large pillar. A thin narrow staircase led downwards.

"Anakin?" she asked as he went down.

"Come see," he said in a cheerful tone. "It's a hot spring."

"A hot spring?" she asked.

But then the stairs stopped. And before her was a large open room. In the center was a sparkling pool with small clouds of steam coming off. Stairs entered the pool from a few places around its edge. Stone benches sat around the edge.

"Why am I not surprised?" she muttered. After the love chamber of course there would be a hot spring.

"Care for a dip?" Anakin asked as he set his candle on a bench. He pulled off his white shirt.

"No," she said.

He had kicked off his pants and just stood there naked. There was still gold glitter on him that caught the flickering flames of the candles. Then he moved so fast Padmé could barely keep track of him. He swept her up into his arms.

"Hey!" she shouted.

She wiggled and tried to push off of him. When he finally let go, she landed in hot water.

"Anakin!" she shouted.

He laughed, so she splashed him. He looked completely shocked, and she could only laugh at his expression. He splashed her back. The two splashed each other as they both laughed. He dunked under the dark water. She glanced around and held her hands out in front of her. Hands suddenly grabbed at her waist as he popped out of the water behind her. He tightened his hold on her and spun her around.

Then he settled them both low in the water. His golden eyes looked like soft fire with the water and the candlelight. His flesh hand slipped under her wet white dress. It slid along her leg and up between them.

"Anakin-" Padmé started to say, but was cut off by a gasp escaping her lips. She wasn't able to get another word out as his mouth pressed against hers. As he continued to stroke her, the heat inside of her grew and grew. She was the one to grab at her dress and to pull it off her head. She tossed it into the water.

Then it was just their bodies. He was inside of her. Moving and grinding. Her hands were all over him. Grabbing at him. Scratching at his back. The chambered echoed their moans and screams of each other's name. After they had both climaxed, they cuddled in the warm water. It wasn't long before things heated up again and he was back inside of her.

After the second time, her arms were wrapped lazily around his neck. He was cradling her to his chest. He seemed to be humming something. She wanted to ask him about the tune, but her eyes were so heavy. A long yawn escaped her, and Anakin kissed her forehead. She closed her eyes and rested her head against his chest. She let herself drift to sleep in his arms.

She stirred a few times in her sleep. Each time Anakin was there. His arms around her. His hand stroking her hair. His lips gently kissing her cheek or shoulder. She would fall back asleep with a smile on her face. But then it became harder to wake up. Her mind was groggy and spun. Her stomach turned in knots. Her body was warm. Too warm.

Anakin was there by her side. His face was full of worry and concern. He brought cold towels and wiped the sweat off of her. He brought fresh water to her lips and warm hot soup for to eat.

"Anakin," she whispered. "I don't know what's wrong."

"You're just sick," he murmured softly. There was something off in those words.

"What if the babies . . ." She couldn't finish the sentence. Her body shook with a strong sob.

"Shhh. Shhh," Anakin said. "They're fine. Everything is fine. This is just a fever. You'll get over it soon enough."

She nodded and rested her head against him. As soon as this illness passed she wanted to be off this planet and get a check-up to make sure her twins were ok. She wasn't sure how much time had passed since the wedding. Anakin had brought her back to the ship. He mentioned he felt safer with her here, and she agreed.

Finally she woke feeling better than she had since the wedding night. She made her way to the refresher and took a long sonic shower. It wasn't as relaxing a water showering, but there was something nice about taking the time to slowly rid herself of all the grime and sweat that had built up on her body.

Once clean, she got dressed. She put on a casual pair of tan pants and a soft maroon shirt. She was glad to no longer wear the gaudy gold clothes of the Skyborn. She slipped on her boots and braided her hair back. After she had a short meal, she made her way to the cockpit. The ship was still parked on Kesh as Anakin hopefully finished his business here.

The cockpit door slid open, and the viewport had its shield closed. Padmé found the button, and the durasteel shield slid open. She didn't know where Anakin had hidden the ship., but the new spot gave off a full view of the towering castle. But what had once been a beautiful combination of stone and crystal and gold, was now scorched and blackened. Giant holes had been blasted out. Smoke poured from windows. Towers had crumbled and fell.

Padmé gasped at the sight. She placed her hands on the control board as she leaned over to get a closer look. Then she saw the distinct shapes of a squad of TIE fighters zip around the main tower. They unleashed a heavy load of red fire onto the palace bringing up fresh smoke.

What were TIE fighters doing here? And why were they attacking the palace?

But there was only one answer. Anakin. Darth Vader.

She turned, ran out of the cockpit, and through the ship's corridors to the loading ramp. The door to the ramp slid open, and she stormed down it at once. However, she stopped only halfway down. A whole squad of stormtroopers stood in front of the ship. They had all turned and faced her hearing the door open. One walked up to her.

"Ma'am," he said. "You need to return to the ship."

She looked at him and then looked at the smoldering castle in the distance. She walked down to the end of the ramp.

"Ma'am," the trooper replied again. "I am not to allow you off this ship."

"On whose orders?" she asked.

"Lord Vader's," he said. She wasn't surprised. "Now please, return to the ship. I do not wish to force you back in there."

She glared at him. The trooper pulled up his blaster and toggled the switch so it was set to stun.

"You would stun me?" she asked.

"I have my orders," the trooper replied.

She glared at him a moment longer, then she turned around and marched back into the ship. She went right back to the cockpit and sat down in the pilot's chair. Fine. If she couldn't leave the ship, then the ship could leave. But the ship wouldn't start up. She let out a shout in frustration. Anakin must have locked it down.

"That no good Sith spit," she cursed.

She marched back to her bunk and dug through her luggage for the blaster she had packed. It was gone. She cursed Anakin again. She started to tear through the ship for any weapon. There had to be one. Her searched stopped when she heard banging on the loading ramp door. She marched to the door, ready for another round with the troopers. But when she opened the door it wasn't the troopers who met her.

A Skyborn man dressed in emerald green stood in the doorway. A lightsaber was in his hand. Its blade was a strange gray beam. He grabbed Padmé's shirt and yanked her out of the ship and threw her down the ramp. She rolled onto the dirt, but at once she was on her feet. Troopers laid dead all around her. Vicious slashes spoke of a lightsaber and holes spoke of blasters. The Skyborn man wasn't alone. About six Skyborn guards stood around leveling blasters at her.

"I knew the little whore was in here," the Skyborn man spat.

Padmé's mind thought through the various houses. Which house wore emerald green? House Windkeeper? That was one of the high houses of the Circle of Lords. Was this Lord Windkeeper? He looked young. No older than Padmé herself.

One of the Skyborn guards grabbed her. She was roughly pulled to Windkeeper.

"Lord Windkeeper, I presume?" she asked.

"The _High_ Lord Windkeeper," he growled. "I must thank your husband Lady Skywalker for this promotion. Come," he barked. "Let us go thank him."

She was dragged through the countryside to the palace. The closer she got the more destruction she saw. Bodies littered the ground. Most were of Keshians including the Skyborn, but some were Imperial troopers. Blasters could be heard in the distance. TIE fighters did rounds over head. Whenever they came close, the guards would pull Padmé to hide from their view.

Finally they made it into the palace. The carnage in here was much worse. She couldn't help but gape in horror. Bodies were everywhere. Servants, guards, and the Skyborn. The old and the young. Their bodies were littered with blaster bolts. Her heart slammed painfully inside her chest.

Why? Why had Anakin done this? She thought he just wanted to find the truth about his family and destroy whatever treasure the Skyborn wanted from him. This . . . this was not what she was expecting at all.

_Is it that surprising? _A voice asked her. _He is Darth Vader. This is what he does. Destroys worlds. _

Her eyes stung, but no tears fell. She wouldn't cry in front of these men. The progress through the palace was slow. They were clearly avoiding any stormtroopers. Sometimes that meant ducking into a room or using the servant halls. But Windkeeper pushed them on. He paused on one landing of stairwell. His head titled as he listened. Padmé heard it to. The unmistakable hum of a lightsaber.

Windkeeper ran down the hall. The guards pulled Padmé after him. They came to a large circular room. Seven large chairs sat in a circle. Each chair was draped in single color fabric. She recognized the emerald green of the Windkeeper house and the purple of the Duskbreakers. But her eyes didn't linger there. Instead she instantly focused on Anakin.

He stood in the back of the room wielding a red lightsaber. He wore all black. In fact it looked just like what Darth Vader wore. Black tunics, black belt, and a long black cape. However, there was no mask or helmet. He fought against a Skyborn who was . . . the old Lady Cloudweaver! The one who revealed Padmé was pregnant.

The old woman was dressed in light blue of her house. She wielded a gray lightsaber like that of Windkeeper. Windkeeper instantly ignited his own blade. He made to move to join the fight, but then Anakin dropped his body down low. He slid under the lady's blade and brought his blade up in a violent red arc. It severed the old lady in two. Her body fell to the floor in two distinct thuds.

Windkeeper took a step back and grabbed Padmé. He jerked her forward.

"Skywalker!" he shouted. His voice full of anger.

Anakin smiled as turned around. "Why if it isn't the new High Lord- " He stopped the moment he saw Padmé. The smile faded from his lips. It was clear he was surprised, but it only lasted a moment. His face instantly darkened. The room seemed to grow colder.

"Let her go," Anakin hissed. His voice was full of venom.

Windkeeper deactivated his lightsaber and stuck the hilt under Padmé's chin. She let out a soft gasp. Anakin only seemed to darken more. The room grew colder.

"Was I unclear?" Anakin said as he took a step closer. "Let. Her. _Go_."

Windkeeper laughed. It was a bit unhinged. Crazed. "Now, now, Skywalker. Surely you know our customs. When the head of a house dies, their spouse must join them shortly after. But I think for you we can rearrange things. We'll let her go first."

Anakin was still. He glared at Windkeeper.

"Or . . ." Windkeeper said. He moved the lightsaber hilt down to her stomach. He placed it against her side. "Perhaps the little whore spawn should go first?"

Padmé couldn't stop the gasp that escaped her. It was mixed with a sob. Windkeeper shoved the hilt so it pressed against her harder.

"Drop your lightsaber," Windkeeper demanded.

The red blade instantly retreated back into the hilt. Anakin tossed his hilt onto the floor. In rolled a few feet before it stopped. Windkeeper held out his free hand with two fingers up. He jerked the hand, and the lightsaber on the floor flung into his hand.

"I'm going to enjoy this," Windkeeper growled.

"I hope you do," Anakin growled back.

His black gloved hand came up in a curled fist. Windkeeper's grip loosen, and he took a quick step away from Padmé. She ran and tripped. She twisted on the floor to see Windkeeper floating in the air. He was gasping and grabbing at his throat. His guards were doing the same. A chill ran up her spine as she heard the click of boots approaching. She looked up to see Anakin slowly walking forward. A twisted smile was across his face. He paused right in front of Windkeeper.

Suddenly the guards all jerked violently. Multiple snaps were heard. Then their bodies fell lifelessly to the ground. A sob escaped Padmé's lips. Anakin's lightsaber jumped into his hand. It must have fallen to the floor when Windkeeper grasped at his neck. Anakin pressed the hilt to Windkeeper's side. The exact spot where the lightsaber had been pressed against Padmé.

There was a moment, a second, where nothing happened. Perhaps Anakin wouldn't go through it? But then the snap-hiss of the lightsaber sounded. She saw the red beam snap out the other side of Windkeeper. He screamed. It was a wet bubbling scream. Anakin ripped the blade out of the body and with one quick slash upwards he beheaded Windkeeper. The head fell to the floor and rolled a few feet. Then the body crashed to the floor.

Anakin stood over the body glaring down at it. His back was to Padmé. She couldn't see his expression, but she could feel the hate pouring off of him. It was a cold fire burning all around him. Then his red lightsaber blade hissed back into the hilt. Anakin straightened up and turned sharply on his heels. His gold eyes were rimmed in red, and they were looking straight at her.

Padmé's heart jumped into her mouth. Fear froze her. She couldn't move. She could barely breathe. Anakin clipped his lightsaber to his belt and quickly made his way to her. She wanted to scream. She wanted to push him away. Claw at him. Punch him. But she couldn't move. She wasn't sure what she was expecting from him, but it wasn't the soft voice.

"Padmé," he said. The anger was gone, or at least pushed aside for the moment. The darkness in his face had eased. "Padmé?" he called again. "Or you all right? Did they hurt you? Padmé?"

He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and then slipped the other under her knees. He picked her up and brought her over to a table that sat against the wall. He sat her gently down on the table. He looked over her. Possibly accessing her for injuries. Then a hand was cupping her face. An arm was around her waist as he pulled her to him.

As he embraced her, he brought his lips up to her forehead. He left several small soft kisses there. He rubbed her back and gently stroked her cheek. Finally she could move, but whatever energy had in been in her moments ago was gone. Now all that left was a cold emptiness. A sob bubbled out of her. Then another and another. Soon her whole body shook as she cried.

"It's fine," Anakin cooed softly. "It's fine. Everything is fine. You're safe. The babies are safe. I'm safe. It's fine."

"It-it is not-not fine," she said between her sobs. "How-how is any of-of-of this fine-fine?"

Both of his hands were on her face gently wiping away tears.

"Padmé, my love, it had to happen," he whispered. "I will explain everything, but not right now. Let me get you back to the ship."

"Oh I want the explanation now," came a shout.

Anakin tensed up. At once the darkness was back. He scowled as he straightened up and turned around. Padmé got a good look at who had walked in.

"Well Grand Lady Duskbreaker," Anakin snarled. "I have been looking for you."


	5. Chapter 5

Grand Lady Duskbreaker glanced around the room. She looked at the corpse of Windkeeper. A slight flick of her hand and his lightsaber jumped into her hand. She snapped the hilt in half and took out a gray crystal. Then she let the other pieces fall back to the floor.

"What is it you're after Skywalker?" she asked. "Looking to reclaim your father's title? Was all this blood to get to me? To become the Grand Lord?"

Anakin laughed. "Grand Lord? Why would I settle for such a pathetic title of such a backwater planet? No, my dear Grand Lady, I will be an Emperor of this whole galaxy."

Duskbreaker glared at Anakin. She asked, "Then why?"

"Simple. Revenge," was his reply. His voice had lowered.

"Revenge?"

"For my father," he snarled.

"It was the Starkillers who killed your father. They were all executed for their crimes."

"That may have been the house that actually did the deed, but do not erase your involvement."

The darkness was gathering again. The cold was growing. Padmé wrapped her arms around herself.

"I had nothing to do with your father's death," Duskbreaker proclaimed.

"Oh? And what of the rest of the Skywalker family? What of my aunt and uncle? Their children? What of them?" Anakin paused as he looked back at Padmé. "Do you know what happened to them?" He looked back at Duskbreaker. "They were slowly tortured to death. One had all their bones broken. Another was stabbed with thousands of sharp pins. Another was boiled alive. Another was chopped to pieces while they were still alive. All while the others watched. All while _my mother _watched."

Duskbreaker said nothing. She only stood her ground.

"Heh, I see you can't deny those charges," Anakin said. "You and the rest of the Skyborn couldn't stand it, could you? The family who descended from Yaru Korsin, captain of the _Omen_. The one who had access to its vaults." He turned and glanced back at Padmé. "That is what they've been after. The vaults of the _Omen_ where the Lignan ore is stored." He turned back and waved a hand at Duskbreaker. "That crystal she took from the lightsaber is the ore. It is very powerful in the Dark Side of the Force. The Skyborn use it to power their lightsabers."

Duskbreaker's face had darkened. Clearly Anakin had hit a nerve.

"But Lignan crystals do not last like a kyber crystal does," Anakin said throwing up his own hilt into the air and catching it. "Eventually it is used up and turns to ash. The ore is a precious resource. The _Omen_ was sent to mine it from the only place in the galaxy you can find it. A moon of Phaegon III. They were sent there by the Sith Lord Naga Shadow as he prepared for his invasion of the Galactic Republic.

"But the Jedi intervened. The Sith were forced to flee. The _Omen_ was damaged as it entered hyperspace, and it crashed on this forsaken planet. But Yaru Korsin didn't freely give out the ore they had collected. Only the elite of the Sith could have them. These elite formed the Skyborn houses. Each house was only allowed one lightsaber."

"The Skywalkers abused their powers!" Duskbreaker shouted. "That was why a Skywalker was almost always the Grand Lord. All the houses bowed and scraped before them for the Lignan crystals. If you displeased them, they may not give you a fresh crystal for your lightsaber when the old one ran out. Their greed was their downfall. They deserved the fate they got. Did your mother tell you tales of what the Skywalkers forced the others do to gain their favor? Of course she didn't, _boy_."

"Do not speak of her!" Anakin yelled. Cracks in the stone floor erupted from his feet.

"Did she not tell you how she became a Skywalker slut? Like your little whore behind you?"

If Duskbreaker had been hoping to push Anakin, it worked. One minute he was there, the next he was across the room. His lightsaber was slamming heavily against Duskbreaker's gray one. Duskbreaker was keeping her own ground. Padmé forgot the _Omen_ had been full of Sith, and their descendants clearly still practiced the dark arts. Duskbreaker went blow to blow with Anakin. Padmé could only watch.

"Oh I remember all the tales about Lakshmi," Duskbreaker said between her blocks and parries. "Slutty Shmi we called her. They said she would crawl under the dinner table and suck your father's dick while he entertained other lords."

The fight continued on. Anakin flipped over Duskbreaker and brought his saber down hard upon her. But her gray blade was there.

"Tell me what life did she live after she fled?" Duskbreaker asked after pushing Anakin back. "She was once a god. Worshipped and revered."

"She was a slave!" Anakin shouted as he slashed again and again at Duskbreaker. "Her ship crashed on a filthy planet. She was found by slavers who sold to the highest bidder."

Duskbreaker laughed. "A slave? How fitting! Is that how her life ended? At the end of a slaver's whip?"

Anakin screamed as he continued to press Duskbreaker. Then his hand came up and Duskbreaker was blown off her feet. She flew a few feet across the room into one of the chairs. She pulled herself up. Anakin was heaving as he glared at her. Duskbreaker took a step forward. She spun her lightsaber as she prepared to continue the fight.

But then the gray lightsaber sputtered out. Duskbreaker held up her hilt. She looked at it in disbelief. She turned the saber over, and gray ash fell out. The Lignan crystal inside her saber was used up. She desperately clawed at the saber and it opened it up. She pulled out the gray crystal she had collected from Windkeeper's saber, but that was as far as she got. Anakin buried his lightsaber to hilt in her heart. Then he ripped it out and watched the body fall.

Padmé didn't wait for what happened next. She quietly slid off the table she had been sitting on and ran. She ran out of the room. She ran down the hall. She had to get away.

But something caught her. It was cold and inky. It wrapped around her and trapped her where she stood. She squirmed and fought against it.

"Padmé!" Anakin shouted as he ran up to her. "Padmé," he said much softer. The cold tendrils were gone, but it was replaced by Anakin's hands grabbing on to her arms.

"Don't touch me!" she shouted. "You're just the same as they are!"

But he didn't let go of her despite how she kicked, punched, and scratched at him. Not once did his grip weaken. She cursed at him. Shouted at him, but he never wavered. Eventually her aderalline ran out, and she sank to the floor. He sank as well. His hands still holding her. Then she started to cry.

This was just like the books. The stories Anakin told her to read. The ones his mother had read and passed on to him. The ones his mother had read in the library of this castle. The sad stories of doomed lovers. Was Padmé's story to follow that pattern? She had fallen in love with a man, only to find out he was a bloodthirsty monster?

All of her energy was drained from her. Anakin said nothing. He only picked her up and collected her into his arms. He carried her out of the castle and back to the ship. He laid her down on her bunk. He brushed the hair from her face. He left only one small kiss on her forehead before he left. It was a long time before sleep finally took her.

Her head spun. Images of lightsabers and duels and screams danced through her head. She saw the crystal and gold towers of the Skyborn palace. She saw the manicured gardens and the grand library. She heard laughter echoing off the shelves.

"_Stop, Marek_," giggled a female voice.

There was the sound of kissing following the sound of someone softly hitting someone else.

"_I said stop_," giggled the voice again.

A man sighed. At first Padmé could only hear them, then she saw them as shadows amongst the shelves, but slowly they materialized. A teenage girl and boy sat on the floor against the shelf. She had a simple beauty to her with a kind face. She had long brown hair which braided back into a bun. She wore typical Skyborn clothes in the color of a dull blue. Padmé didn't recognize the house color. The boy had a strong face. He had dark brown hair which he kept short. He was also dressed in Skyborn fashion and wore all black. Black? Padmé had never seen a house wear black.

The boy sighed and leaned his head against the bookshelf. Without looking at the girl, his fingers laced with hers. The two held hands. She blushed. The sound of door slamming open caused both teens to jump. Their hands snapped back to their bodies. Feet were heard running towards them. They both stood up. A young teen ran around the corner and stopped when he saw them.

_Anakin_, Padmé thought.

The youth looked like Anakin. He had tan skin and blonde hair. His hair was lighter and it was wavy and curly, which he wore long in a ponytail. He had the same strong chin and amazing blue eyes. He was dressed in the Skywalker gold. The youth smiled upon seeing the young couple.

"_Shmi! Marek! Sorry I'm late_," the youth said as he walked up to the other two.

"_Ananta_!" the girl said.

Marek rolled his eyes. The girl, Shmi? Lakshmi?, walked over to Ananta and handed him a book. She blushed as she handed it to him.

"_Thanks_," he said softly as he took the book.

Marek walked over and clapped Ananta on the back. "_I heard the good news_," Marek said. "_Your sister is engaged to Dawndancer's second son. And when is the young Lord Skywalker going to find himself a consort_?"

Ananta looked at Lakshmi and blushed. Marek caught the exchange and scowled.

The library and the teens grew fuzzy. Slowly they faded away. A new scene came into focus. It was a of gray skies and light rain. Gentle rolling hills of farmland extended out from a window. The room was made of white stone. Inside was a woman. Padmé realized it was Lakshmi, but she had aged. She was now a young woman. She still dressed in the dull blue.

Around her were the purple-skinned Keshians. They looked like villagers dressed in dirty plain clothes. They were of all ages and sat around Shmi on the floor in a circle. Lakshmi sat on a low stool with a book on her lap she was reading aloud from. A loud noise was heard and she stopped reading from the book. She looked up and gasped. The Keshians all turned and their eyes grew wide. Then they all bowed their heads to the ground.

Marching into the room was a soaking wet Ananta Skywalker. His gold clothing looked dull. His hair hung loose all around him. Lakshmi jumped up, but then remembered protocol. She bowed.

"_Lord Skywalker_," she said.

"_Leave_," Ananta said glaring at the villagers.

The Keshians all ran out of the room. Once alone, Lakshmi rushed over to Ananta. "_Why are you here_?" she asked in a hushed voice.

"_My father . . . he's dead . . ._" Ananta said. His gaze was casted downwards. "_And my mother . . _."

"_Joined him in death_," Lakshmi said softly.

"_The high families have already scheduled the vote for the new Grand Lord_," Skywalker said slowly.

"_Are you going to offer your name for Grand Lord_?"

Skywalker took a deep breath and raised his head. He looked Lakshmi right in the eye. "_Yes_," he said.

Again the scene blurred away and a new one took in place. This time it was of a green forest. It appeared as if it was on the side of the mountain. The land on a sharp incline. Large rocks and small cliffs were seen all around. Lakshmi was dressed in a warm coat and pants in dull blue. A black clad Marek walked carefully behind her.

She led him down a sharp incline to a cave. "_It's in here,_" she said. She grabbed his hand and brought in. He gasped as the cave opened up into a large cavern.

"_It's a . . ._"

"_Spaceship_!" Lakshmi said excitedly. "_A few local boys told me the story_."

Slowly the two walked over to it. Marek stared at it in astonishment. Lakshmi only smiled.

"_It still works_," she said.

"_How did you know_?" he asked.

She grabbed his hand and pulled him to the lowered loading ramp. She pulled him inside. Lakshmi was fearless and excited, while Marek was wide-eyed and clearly uncomfortable. She brought him into the cockpit.

"_Hello_," Lakshmi said.

Sitting in the copilot's chair was a droid. It was humanoid in shape, but it was in poor shape. The arms were on the floor. Its head sagged. Its chest was open with wires connecting to the ship's control panel.

"_Heh. Loe._" the droid said a choppy distorted voice.

"_Shmi_," Marek said in a sharp voice. He placed his arm on her shoulder.

"_He's been teaching me about the ship_," Lakshmi said.

Again everything blurred away and the scene changed. Padmé recognized the room as somewhere in the Skyborn palace. Lakshmi sat on a sofa dressed in gold. Wait. Padmé recognized that dress. It was the wedding dress she wore to get married to Anakin . . . Marek paced with his hands clasped behind his back. Neither Lakshmi nor Marek looked happy.

"_This wasn't part of the plan_," Marek said. He paused and glared at Lakshmi, but she said nothing. "_We have yet to figure out the problem of the Lignan_."

"_I know_," Lakshmi said softly.

Marek walked over to Lakshmi. He sat down besides her. "_Shmi_," he said softly. "_Please don't go through with the wedding. There is so much talk amongst the other high houses. They're so unhappy that another Skywalker became the Grand Lord_."

"_But they're the ones who voted him in_," she said.

"_What choice do they have? They fear Ananta will be too much like his father and withhold Lignan from them. The previous Grand Lord Skywalker has left the Skywalker house tainted._"

"_Is that why he was killed_?"

"_No doubt_," Marek muttered.

"_You think they plan the same for Ananta_?" Lakshmi asked. Her eyes wide.

"_There are rumors. My brother has been stirring them up." _He grabbed her hand. "_Please, Shmi, it's not safe right now._"

"_Marek . . . I have to . . ._"

"_No, you don't! I'll go to the Temple myself and announce that you've declined the marriage_!"

"_Marek . . . Marek, I'm pregnant_."

Marek's body jolted back. His eyes went wide and his mouth fell open. "_What_?" he said.

"_I'm pregnant_," Lakshmi repeated. "_A proper Skyborn can't be born to unwed parents. I have to go through with this._"

"_How do you know it's Ananta's_?" Marek snapped. "_It could be mine_!"

The scene faded away, and this time it fell into darkness.

Padmé barely recalled Anakin waking her up and taking her somewhere else. When she awoke it was in a large bed in a large room. She knew from the hum and vibrations she was on a ship. She slowly rolled out of the bed and stumbled to the large viewport. White angular lines stretched out before her. There was no denying she was on a star destroyer.

She turned back to the room. It was huge. A large bed stood in the middle against a wall. There was a dresser and a small sitting area next to the viewport. She walked past the bed and to the door. It slid open silently. It opened into a large living space. It was a mix of a comfortable sitting room, a dining area, and a small kitchen. It seemed out of place since this was a warship. But these were most likely the quarters of Darth Vader, heir to the Empire and Supreme Commander of the Imperial Forces.

She found something to eat the kitchen and settled down on a sofa in the sitting area. She watched the streaks of hyperspace from the viewport. She found its repetitiveness relaxing. Her hand slid over her stomach. How far along was she? Three months? Four? How had she not noticed sooner? She was pregnant. With _twins_.

What was she going to do? It wasn't so much about the babies. It was about their father. Anakin Skywalker. Darth Vader. What was she going to do about _him_? What was their relationship? She thought she knew. Sure it wasn't the smoothest relationship, but . . . She did love him. And now? After seeing him as Darth Vader? Seeing him kill and slaughter so easily? Was that the man she wanted around her children? A chill ran through her. He didn't seem like the type of man to allow his children to be kept from him.

Her thoughts spun. She thought of Anakin. Of Vader. Of her children. She also thought of Lakshmi. Padmé had dreamed of her. Why? Were they simply just dreams? They felt more real than that. Like it was a memory. Like she had viewed an even from the past. If that was so, what had happened between Lakshmi, Marek, and Ananta?

Marek was a Starkiller. He had mentioned his brother speaking against the Skywalkers. Had Marek grown jealous that Lakshmi picked Ananta over him? Had he decided to join his family when they killed the Skywalkers? The Skyborns said it had been the Starkillers who had killed the Skywalker family. The entire Starkiller family had been killed for their crimes.

So Lakshmi had lost both Marek and Ananta. She was pregnant and alone. She was to join her husband in death. So she ran to the ship in the cave and fled from Kesh. Fled to give her son, her Anakin, a chance at a better life. Was this the life Lakshmi had wanted for her son?

The main door to the rooms opened, and Anakin walked in. He was dressed as Darth Vader with the mask and helmet. An icon of the Empire, of fear and destruction. He took off the helmet and placed it on the dining table. The mask came next. He unclipped his heavy cloak and threw it on the back of a chair. He tossed the leather gloves on to the table. Then finally he walked over to her.

Neither one said anything. They just stared. His face was neutral. It gave away nothing. She tried to keep hers the same. What should she be feeling? Anger? Fear? Regret? She didn't know, so she just opted for nothing.

It was him who broke first. He sighed heavily. His whole body moved with it. His shoulders sagged as the air left. It was if he deflated. Then he lowered himself onto to the floor on one knee in front of her. His beautiful gold eyes looked up at her.

"Padmé," he said softly.

"Anakin," she replied coldly.

"I told you I would explain everything," he said. She only nodded. With his flesh hand he took one of her hands and held it.

"My family descends from the captain of the _Omen_. He was the one who tricked the Keshians into thinking the _Omen_'s crew were the Kesh gods, the Skyborn. He started the line of Skywalker. He held the access code to the vault of Lignan ore. He and the Skywalkers that followed doled out the ore rarely and selectively. As such a Skywalker was almost always a Grand Lord.

"I don't know the dirty details," he said. "I am sure there were those who abused their power. My father may have been one of them. But I do know my mother was not. My mother was a kind soul. She wasn't Force sensitive. She was from a lower house, and yet she and my father fell in love. Their marriage was heavily frowned upon. No one approved it. Not even her own house. But they married anyways."

What of Marek Starkiller? Had Lakshmi ever told Anakin about him? Anakin said he didn't recognize the initials. Then again, he said he didn't know what the Skyborn were after. Who knew where his lies started and ended.

Anakin continued, "As you know the Starkiller family killed my father. However it was all part of a bigger plot by several houses. To the public it was announced the Starkillers killed off the entire Skywalker family. As such their entire family was killed. However, in truth only my father had been killed. The rest still lived, but just barely. They were slowly killed and tortured. Revenge the Skyborn perpetrators said. It was for all the wrongs the Skywalkers had committed over the generations.

"They kept my mother alive. Not because she wasn't of the Skywalker blood, but because she was pregnant. They only needed one Skywalker alive. They foolishly thought the vault that held the Lignan ore was operated by blood instead of by a simple pass code. I don't know how my mother got free or found an old spacecraft. I just know she did. The ship was so old and faulty it quickly crash landed after a short jump into hyperspace.

"She was picked by slavers, sold into slavery, and eventually gave birth to me. I, the son of the Grand Lord of the Skyborn gods, was born a slave. We were owned by a Hutt who owned a large flimsi library, which is where my mother read books when she could. But eventually I was noticed by Palpatine. He bought my mother and me.

"He trained me to be a Sith, though I was still a slave. He would beat and torture my mother in front of me to incite my anger and fear, both key emotions in using the Dark Side of the Force. Eventually she died from his cruelties gone too far. Or perhaps he had timed it right, knowing her death would be the final push for to become a Sith."

He paused. He looked at the viewport. He stared for a long while before he turned back to her. He took her hand and brought it up his neck. He slid it down to the base of his neck. A scar ran there. She had noticed it before during their more intimate times together. It was one of many. His body was laced with scars.

"That's my slave chip," he said. "Right next to my spinal cord. Still active. The Emperor holds its codes. Holds my life in his hand. It's simple. I obey his every command, or he activates the chip. I thought about disobeying it or just taking my own life. That at least I would have control over how and when I died, but I didn't."

He brought her hand down and took it in both of his hands. One flesh and one metal.

"I'll be honest," he said as he looked directly at her. His gold eyes seemed to burn. "I wanted revenge. I hated my life, but most of all I hated Palpatine. He is obsessed with power. With getting it and holding it. He suffers no rivals. Not even would-be rivals. And he _loathed_ the idea of Kesh. At some point in time my mother told him parts of her story. He could not bare the idea there was some planet out there full of Sith. He belonged to the Order of Bane, which came about after the _Omen'_s fateful crash. The Order of Bane states there shall only ever be two Sith at a time."

His eyes finally fell from hers. They traveled down to her stomach. Her heart started to beat faster.

"Wait . . . if there can only be . . . two . . . at a time, what about . . . the babies?" she asked.

"There are always two," Anakin said softly. "No more. No less. A master and an apprentice."

"And the babies?" she asked again.

"If Sidious discovers them he will kill them. Or to kill me if decides to take one of them up as an apprentice. But he would only take one."

Padmé's heart stopped and plunged into her stomach.

"Wha- what?" she asked as tears stung her eyes. "I can't . . . You can't."

"No I can't," he said. He squeezed her hand. "I'm not going to lie, Padmé. I wanted revenge. Revenge against Palpatine. The slavers. The Skyborn. And then you came. And you changed everything."

A nervous laugh bubbled out of her. "By looking at books?" she asked.

"No," he said so softly it made her heart beat again. "By being kind. The bookstore wasn't the first time we met. I had been sent on a mission by Palpatine to handle a drug ring in lower Coruscant. I was ambushed and barely survived. I was beaten and bloodied. I crawled my way up the levels. No one ever looked at me. No one ever asked me for anything. Except you."

Her breath caught in her throat. She could see the memory clearly. It had rained earlier in the day. Steam was rising as the sun dried up the puddles. Her skirts snagged against something causing her to pause. Then she saw him. Bruised and beaten. At once she pulled him up and into her speeder. She was going to take him to the closest med center, but he begged her not to. In fact he begged her just to drop him off.

She refused. Instead she took him to a hotel. There she used a simple store-bought med kit and bandaged him up the best she could. She left to get food, and when she returned he was gone.

"You were an angel," he said. His voice was like she had never heard it before. It was so full of love and admiration. "My angel. You were the first person to look at me like a person, not a slave or tool, since my mother. As I searched for clues to find the planet Kesh, I saw you in that bookstore. I desperately just wanted to get to know you."

"You came off a little cold at first," she said.

He let out a small laugh. "Social graces aren't my best trait," he said. He smiled. The first time she had seen him smile since he came in. "Then I saw you again after that long time, and I saw it in you. Life. I knew you were pregnant with my child. When you gave me that journal, I asked you right away to come with me. Because I had to keep you and the baby safe. If you stayed on Coruscant you ran the risk of Palpatine discovering your pregnancy."

He sighed. "But I also knew what I was taking you to. Palpatine granted me leave to go to Kesh, but my ship was tracked. Three star destroyers followed us and stayed in orbit. Palpatine had given me a grace period to exact my own revenge before the troops would come down. I knew I had to find the _Omen_ with it's Lignan vault."

"All this goes back to that blasted ore," Padmé said.

"Yes," he said. "Because Palpatine doesn't know about it."

She tilted her head as she considered what he said. "He doesn't know about it?"

"No," Anakin said. "Neither my mother nor I ever told him what the _Omen_'s mission or cargo was. There are no records left of its mission. Lignan ore is powerful in the Dark Side. It enhances a Sith's abilities in the Force. It will give me enough power to finally defeat the Emperor. Kill him. It is the only way our babies will ever be safe."

She just stared at him. Eventually her eyes fell off of him and looked out the viewport.

"That doesn't excuse it," she whispered. "What you did to the Skyborn. The way you murdered them."

"They were not the first," Anakin said. "There were the Jedi. The Free Ryloth Movement. The Kwymar Suppressions. Mon Cala."

A lump formed in her throat. She knew this. Vader's 'victories' were proclaimed over and over on the holonet. Anakin sighed and ran his flesh hand through his hair.

"I _had_ to, Padmé," he said not looking her in the eye. "It's what he wanted. The Emperor. My _master_." He spat the last word. "He wanted a vicious attack dog that delivered a very clear message: go against the Empire and face Vader's wrath. He wants it bloody. Even on operations like this where there will be no holonet propaganda. His hundreds of faithful officers and spies take recordings of it. He _enjoys_ seeing it. They've already sent the footage of Kesh off to him, and he was expecting a certain grim carnage. And if . . . and if I don't provide him with his entertainment, I get punished."

His head dipped lower. Slowly she brought a hand up and wove her fingers through his hair. She stroked his hair. He leaned into her touch.

"I know it doesn't excuse it," he whispered. "But I had no choice. Either I do what he says or I get tortured."

He lifted his head and raised his prosthetic arm. It was gold and black metal.

"That was how I lost my arm," he said bitterly. "If I can't provide entertainment for him, then he'll entertain himself on me. I never wanted you to know. I tried to prevent it. I . . . I gave you a Keshian sleeping drug. I didn't know it would also give you a fever. But I never wanted you to see . . . to see me like _that_ . . ."

He lowered his hand and looked out at the viewport. She followed his gaze. They sat there for a while in silence, but just staring at the whorls of hyperspace.

"All I ask," Anakin said, "is for you to try to forgive me." He turned to her. His gold eyes were so soft. His lips were slightly pointed down in a frown. "Forgive me for the sake of our children and for . . . for us."

His eyes pleaded with her. She could feel it. His heart was on the edge of shattering depending on her next words. She didn't know what to do. He was asking her to forgive murder, to forgive genocide, for him. No, not just for him. For their children. She let her hand rest on her stomach. This wasn't just about her. This was about them.

"Tell me," she said softly. "What happens next? You go and kill the Emperor and then what? Become the new Emperor? What of our children? What of the galaxy? You claim all your misdeeds are because Palpatine made you. So what will your galaxy be like? What kind of father will you be? What kind . . . What kind of husband?"

A smile pulled on one corner of his lips. He took her hand in both of his.

"What do you want me to be?" he asked.

She shook her head. "No, what do _you_ want to be?"

He laid his head in her lap. "I don't know," he whispered. "I've always just been whatever my masters wanted me to be."

"What did your mother want you to be? When she fled Kesh? When she told you stories from the books she read in the Hutt's library?"

Her hand laced into his hair again. His was quiet for a long time as he thought on her words. Finally he spoke. His words were spoken in a soft whisper. If she hadn't been careful, she would have missed them completely.

"Happy. Free. Loved." he sighed. "And I will be."


	6. Chapter 6

They returned to Imperial Center. Anakin brought Padmé back to her apartment. She was kept busy the moment she walked into the door. Her work had piled up. She had been gone longer than the time she had requested off and had been out of contact. She was kept busy for days, but whenever she found the time, she was looking at the holonet. Looking for news that the Emperor was dead. Looking for news about Darth Vader.

Nothing.

What had happened? Had something else come up? Was Vader biding his time? Or was it something else?

She was asleep in her apartment when noises woke her up. Her heart leapt into her throat. She pulled out her blaster she kept next her bed. A shadow awkwardly stumbled into her bedroom doorway. It leaned heavily against the wall next to the door.

"Pad- Padmé?"

She was out of the bed at once. She wrapped her arms around him. Anakin his hissed in pain.

"Anakin?" she cried.

She lowered him to the floor. He was injured. Cuts, bruises and burns littered his face and body. His clothes were ripped and torn and caked in dried blood. His breathing was uneven and shallow.

"Anakin, what happened?" she asked.

"The Emp- Emperor," he said between trembles.

She dragged him into the refresher. It was work peeling him out of his dirty clothes, but eventually she managed. She pushed him into the shower, where he slumped down into the corner. She slipped out her own nightclothes and got in. Slowly she washed the blood and dirt off of him. It took several towels to dry him off, since some of his wounds were still bleeding.

Then she spent a long time bandaging and stitching him together. The sun was just starting to rise when she helped him into her bed. She curled beside him, and the two slept. When she awoke in the afternoon, he was still sound asleep. Once he woke up, she ordered take-out food. They ate, and then she checked on his wounds and rebandaged them.

"I'm going to return," Anakin grumbled. Night had come again. He stood at one of the windows looking out towards the Imperial Palace.

"What happened last time?" she asked softly.

"I . . . had displeased the Emperor, so I was punished."

"I thought you were going to kill him."

"I am."

"Then why haven't you?"

"I wasn't ready."

"And you're ready now?"

Anakin took in a sharp breath. He turned and looked at her. "It's the Lignan ore. Its melting point is actually quite low. As such it was kept in a liquid state on board the _Omen_. To freeze it into a crystal is a bit time consuming. It takes quite a while for it to completely solidify."

"And it's still solidifying?" she asked. Anakin nodded.

She slowly walked up to him. No words were needed. He opened his arms and her own arms wrapped around him. She nestled her head against his chest. He placed his head against hers. They held each other for a long time. Padmé watched the bright lines of traffic in the distance, the twinkling lights of the city, and the steam rise from the lower levels.

She stood up straight. She tilted her head. She looked intently out at the night. She recalled the Skyborn palace's library. The books. The notes to Lakshmi from Marek. What had he said in that note? Ananta? Lignan? Lignan . . . In the story the note was found in was about old Lady Snowsinger poisoning the Noonslayer family with poison she hid in flower vases. Under the vases were hot plates. The poison was released as steam . . .

"Anakin," Padmé said softly.

"Hmmm?"

"How easy is it for the Lignan to turn into a gas?"

He stiffened. She turned and faced him.

"And if it is a gas, how poisonous is it?"

Two days later in the morning, they were both dressed in comfortable casual clothes. They had finished eating and were sitting next to each other on the couch. Their voices were soft as they talked about the future. About their babies. About names. That was when the door was blown in. Speeders dropped down all around the apartment. Stormtroopers rushed in with their blasters held up and pointed at Anakin and Padmé.

Anakin jumped up. "What is the meaning of this?" he shouted. Padmé also stood up.

"Anakin Skywalker?" the leader of the troopers asked.

"Yes?" Anakin hissed.

The hairs raised on the back of Padmé's neck. They hadn't addressed him as Darth Vader.

"Padmé Amidala?" the leader than asked of her. Padmé nodded. "You two are under arrest for treason against the Empire."

"_Treason_?" Anakin shouted. "Do you have any idea who I am?"

"Yes," the trooper said.

Anakin's hand snapped up. The leader was thrown into the crowd of troopers behind him. Padmé gasped. She heard the click of grips tightening on blasters. The troopers closest to them were suddenly ripped off their feet. Their helmets violently snapped to the side. The bodies fell heavily to the floor.

"Stun him!" someone shouted.

Green stun shots exploded from all directions. The first two Anakin somehow seemed to absorb or redirect them with his han. But then the third shot caught him the shoulder.

"Anakin!" she shouted out. That was when she felt a bolt hit her.

"Padmé!" he shouted out. But his voice was weak as he fought off the stun. It wasn't long until they had both collapsed onto the floor.

When she awoke, hands tightly gripped both of her arms. They were dragging her. She faded in and out of consciousness. She only really woke up when she was pushed down to her knees. She kept her eyes closed for a while as her head spun.

"Senator Amidala," came a rasping voice.

Her eyes snapped open, but it took her a few seconds to focus on the figure sitting on the throne. Emperor Palpatine. She was in the throne room. Light streamed in from the large windows behind the throne, but everything else was dark including the Emperor. The only thing she could really make out were the yellow eyes that seemed to be burning inside the dark hood.

"I believe congratulations are in order," Palpatine said. "You are expecting a baby! How wonderful!" A cold shiver ran through Padmé. "How are you feeling about this? Our new father?"

Padmé turned her head. Spots swam in front of her eyes, but eventually she saw Anakin next to her. Like her he was on his knees on the ground. His head was bobbing up and down as he fought to wake up. But his gold eyes were focused straight ahead.

"Sidious," Anakin hissed weakly.

"Now, boy, you've put me in quite a dilemma," Palpatine said. "What to do about your offspring?"

Ice gripped Padmé's heart as she recalled how Anakin told her that the Emperor followed the Rule of Two. There could only be two Sith.

"Please," Padmé said softly. "Don't."

"Don't what?" Palpatine said. "_Kill_ the baby?"

She wrapped her arms around her stomach as if that would protect them.

"There can only be two Sith," Palpatine continued. "And that child of yours, my dear, will one day rival its father. It cannot live while its father does. So you see the decision I am faced with?"

Child. Baby. Not babies. Not children. Palpatine didn't know there were twins.

"Hmmm, but perhaps I shouldn't be the one to decide," Palpatine said. "Why don't you help me out my dear Padmé? Why don't you choose? Which one do you want to live? Your lover? Or your child?"

"Wha . . . what?" Padmé said in a barely audible voice. She was starting to tremble. There was a cold seeping into her bones.

The Emperor stood up. He grasped a cane as he came down the steps. "Which one do you pick to live?" he repeated. "Anakin? Or your child?"

"I . . . I . . ."

She looked over at Anakin. He was still hunched over. His face was hard. His jaw was tense. His gold eyes seemed to have a red ring around them as he glared at Palpatine. For a brief second, his eyes flashed over at Padmé, but then they were back on the Emperor.

"Oh come now," the Emperor said annoyed. "If you won't pick, then I will."

A white gnarled hand snapped down and grabbed Padmé's chin. She was forced to look at Palpatine. His fingers dug into into her face.

"Now, if I had to pick . . ." he paused as his sickly yellows looked down at her stomach and then over to Anakin. "I think I'll pick Vader. I'm not in the mood to waste my time waiting for some brat to grow up."

"No!" Padmé cried. "Please!"

Palpatine laughed as he let go of her chin.

"Please . . ." Padmé sobbed. "Please don't kill my baby."

"And why should I save it?" Palpatine asked. "It is a _threat_. It cannot live. I already have a perfectly loyal apprentice."

"His is not loyal!" she shouted. "He plans to kill you!"

Palpatine froze. His eyes narrowed in on Padmé. Then they snapped to Anakin. The room grew colder and darker. Padmé started to shiver. The shook her whole body. Anakin let out a small laugh.

"You shouldn't be that surprised," Anakin said. "It is the way of the Sith. In order to become a master yourself, one must kill their own master. And with my own child, my own apprentice, on its way, you are no longer needed."

Lightning exploded out of Palpatine's hand. It snaked across the air and zapped right into Anakin's chest. He screamed and fell on to his side. The lightning stopped. The smell was horrible. It smelled like ozone and burnt skin. She could feel bile rising in her throat. She fought it back down.

"Now tell me, my dear," Palpatine said. "How was he going to do it?"

Padmé looked between Anakin and Palpatine. Anakin was on the floor. His face was down. His body shook and heaved. Each breath must have been painful for him.

"Tell me," Palpatine hissed. "Or I will kill that baby inside you right here and now!"

"The ore!" Padmé shouted.

"The ore?"

"The Lignan ore," Padmé said softly. She heard Anakin's sharp intake of air. It sounded like a hiss. Like betrayal.

"_Lignan_?" Palpatine said. "How much Lignan ore does he have?"

"I don't know," Pame said. "It was on Kesh. On board the old starship that crashed there. The _Omen_. He's been waiting for it to solidify into crystals."

"Where is the ore now?" Palpatine asked.

Padmé looked over at Anakin. His face was completely filled with rage. His mouth was twisted into a scowl. His eyes looked the same as Palpatine's. A sulfur yellow lined in a bleeding red.

"_Don't_," Anakin hissed.

Padmé looked back up at Palpatine. "I will show you," she said.

The trip to the storage chamber where Anakin had hidden the ore was a quiet and tense one. The chamber was in a military facility near the palace. It was a short ride via a speeder, but it felt horribly long. Both Padmé and Anakin were placed in binders and escorted by troopers. Now Padmé led the way through the halls of the facility. Behind her was the Emperor flanked by four of his red royal guards. Anakin followed with his trooper escort in the rear.

Padmé stopped at a door. "This is it," she said softly. Her eyes pointed at the floor.

A stormtrooper walked up and pressed the door panel. The door slid open. The troops marched in followed by everyone else. The room was lined with large metal barrels. Palpatine nodded to one of the troopers who opened the lid to find them filled with a silvery liquid. The Emperor walked over and stuck his hand into the liquid.

He closed his eyes and leaned his head back. A smile spread across his face. He let out a pleased moan.

"Ah, such power," he purred. Force lightning sparked around his other hand. "Such power!"

Padmé felt a hand on her shoulder. She jumped and saw Anakin standing next to her. The guards were all focus on the Emperor. Anakin used the distraction to hand Padmé the breathing mask. She slipped it on as Anakin did the same. Anakin's hand came up. With a small use of the Force, the door's lock clicked into place. Then Anakin flicked his fingers up as he used the Force to adjust the settings on the control panel by the door.

At once the rumble of the heater sounded. Hot air blasted out of the vents. The coils around the base of the barrels started to glow red as they heat up.

"What is this?" Palpatine shouted. "What treachery is this!" He noticed the masks both Padmé and Anakin were wearing. "_You_! You will pay!"

Palpatine raised his hands, but the lightning never came. His yellow eyes went wide. He hunched over as he started to cough and gag. Then suddenly he arched backwards. His head flying back. His hood fell off. His hands were thrown up in the air. Grasping. Clawing. The guards were all coughing. A few were hunched over while some were on the ground.

The room grew hotter, and with it the steam started to rise from the barrels. A bright white steam. Padmé was sweating. She watched as the Emperor's face turned red and then white. His eyes bulged out of his head. Blood started to drip out of his nose.

"Y- you!" he gasped while pointing a finger at Padmé and Anakin. "Yo- you- you!"

But then he fell to the floor. He was clawing at his throat. Dark liquid was drooling out of his mouth. Padmé wasn't sure what color it was, but it was very dark. Almost black. Palpatine heaved and gagged. Each breath sounded painful and wet. Then finally he collapsed onto the floor and was still.

Padmé and Anakin didn't move. They couldn't leave. The lock was on a timer. They stood there and watched as the steam rose from the barrels. Eventually, small grey flakes of ash rose as the Lignan ore extinguished itself. The two stood there amongst the swirls of white steam and dancing ash. It blinded them. Covered them and everything else. When finally the heaters turned off, everything was silent. Everything was still. Everything was covered in white ash.

The only ones alive were Anakin and Padmé. And their babies. They were alive. All of them.

When the lock finally clicked open, Padmé at once stumbled out. She tried to shake the white ash off. Anakin was there gently wiping it off, but some of the ash only smeared and stained. She started to tremble and her breathing sped up. She had to be free of this ash. To be free of all of this. Of the Emperor. Of the Sith. Of the Lignan ore. Of Kesh.

Anakin wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly. He whispered calming words into her hair as he slowly walked he out of the facility back to the speeder. He took her back to the palace. She got lost in the maze of hallways, but eventually she found herself in a refresher. She was in the shower with Anakin, who was gently washing her body. She looked at the shower floor as she watched the white ash swirl down the drain.

Anakin wrapped her up in a warm towel and found a large shirt of his for her to wear. They must have been in his rooms in the palace. Then he led her to the large bed. He tucked her in and stroked her hair.

"Are you not coming in?" she whispered.

"The Emperor is dead," he replied softly.

"That makes you the Emperor."

He smiled, but it was pained. It didn't reach his eyes.

"Do you want to be Emperor?" she asked.

"I don't know. I never thought . . . I never thought I'd actually outlive Sidious."

She reached up and grabbed his hand, his flesh hand, and squeezed it.

"You have," she said.

They were quiet for a long moment.

"You can leave," she said. "We can leave. Run away from it all. Just us and the babies. A free life like the one you want. Just make it look like Vader died with the Emperor. We could be off planet within an hour or two."

He looked off into the distance clearly in thought.

"I don't know if I can just run away and leave all of this behind," he said still not looking at her. "I helped make this Empire. I spilled so much blood to bring this Empire up. It doesn't feel right to just leave it. What if . . . what if whoever comes along is worse than Sidious? I know what I've done is inexcusable, but to simply walk away would also devalue those lives and losses."

He finally looked down at her.

"I have a chance to be better," he said. "To be more than a slave. I have to chance to make it right."

Padmé squeezed his hand and smiled.

"And for that to happen," he said. "I have to go out there."

He leaned over and kissed her. He got dressed, smiled as he reached the door, and left her alone. She buried her head in the pillow and quickly fell asleep.

She awoke to a dark room, and she wasn't alone. Anakin was standing next to the bed. He was dressed in dark clothes. He must be in his Darth Vader attire.

"How was it?" she asked as she stretched.

He said nothing. There was only a tilt of his head. She leaned over to turn the bedside lamp on. She blinked as her eyes adjusted to the light. When she looked up at Anakin, she realized it wasn't him. Though he looked very similar. The man was the same height. His face was a similar build. His hair was shorn short. He his eyes and hair were both a dark brown.

Though what caused Padmé's heart to beat in her chest and for her to sit up was his clothes. They were all black. All in the style of the Skyborn.

"Hello Lady Skywalker," the man said. "I don't believe we've met. I'm Galen Starkiller."


	7. Chapter 7

Padmé's heart slammed in her chest. Galen Starkiller. A skyborn. She glanced around. This wasn't her room. Did Anakin keep a blaster by his bedside like she did? But even if he did, she didn't know where. She also became suddenly aware the only thing she was wearing was one of Anakin's large shirts. She clutched the bedsheets.

"What do you want?" she asked.

Galen put his hands up. "I mean you no harm," he said a bit too calmly. "I just want to talk. To you and Anakin Skywalker. When you have the time, meet me here." He tossed a small data stick on to the bed. He smiled, nodded, and then left.

Padmé was clutching the stick and wide awake when Anakin returned. He was wearing his Darth Vader outfit minus the mask and helmet.

"What's wrong?" he asked. "I could feel your distress."

"Tell me the truth. Do you have no idea who Marek Starkiller was?"

Anakin's head jerked slightly back. He was not prepared for that question.

"The Starkillers were one of the high noble families of the Skyborn," Anakin said. "They were responsible for my father's death. They were all executed for their crimes."

"And Marek?"

"Was the second son of the family," he said. "Killed with the rest of them. Why do you ask?"

He sat down on the side of the bed.

"Because Galen Starkiller showed up in this room, said he wanted to talk, and gave me this stick," she said showing off the data stick.

Anakin stilled. His eyes focused on the stick. Then his eyes shifted to Padmé's. There was a chill in the room. She shivered.

"What?" he hissed. "There was a Skyborn . . . _here_? In this room? What did he do? Are you hurt?"

"I'm fine," she said. "Like I said, all he wanted to do was talk to us."

"_Us_?"

"Yes, he said us."

It wasn't until two weeks later they were able to go to the meeting place. Anakin had been quite busy securing the Empire. There were many who opposed his rule. A few tried to break away from the Empire, and not all the dust had settled. But Padmé kept insisting they meet this Starkiller and finally Anakin agreed. Neither one knew how he had managed to get past security and into the personal rooms of Darth Vader. Anakin had not left the room unlocked or unguarded.

The location on the data stick brought them to a hospital on Coruscant. The stick also provided a room in a ward for long-term residents. Many were elderly that were too sick to leave. They finally came to the room. Anakin had his lightsaber hidden in his jacket. Padmé had a blaster. Anakin had ordered a two squads of stormtroopers ready to storm the hospital at a moment's notice.

Padmé took Anakin's hand and squeezed it. She pressed the door panel button, and the door slid open silently. Inside was a single bed with an elderly human man laying in it. His eyes were closed. His face was horribly wrinkled and scarred. Thick tubes led into his mouth and chest. Wires disappeared into his white medical robes fed from various beeping machines all around the bed.

"So you finally came."

Both Padmé and Anakin jumped and whirled around. Standing against the wall was Galen Starkiller. He wasn't wearing the Skyborn clothes. In fact he was dressed normally and casually.

"You are Starkiller?" Anakin hissed.

Galen paused and then shook his head.

"I'm not looking for a fight," he said. Anakin didn't relax. Galen dug into his jacket and brought out a lightsaber. He tossed it to Anakin, who caught it. Anakin ignited the blade. It was a grey blade. It must have a Lignan crystal core.

"What do you want?" Anakin asked as he turned off the lightsaber and tucked it into his jacket.

Galen ignored the question and walked pass them to the bed. He stood at the foot of it looking at the man.

"This is my father," he said softly. "Marek Starkiller."

"Marek Starkiller was killed," Anakin said.

Galen sighed and faced Anakin. "For killing the Skywalkers," he said sadly.

"He's not dead," Anakin pointed out.

"And neither are all the Skywalkers," Galen said with a slight smile. "Here the two of us are. Both to be blamed for the deaths of the other's family."

"I know the Starkillers weren't alone in planning the death of my family," Anakin said. "But I do know they _were_ the ones to kill my father."

Galen looked back at his father.

"What is that you want, Starkiller?" Anakin asked. "Revenge?"

"That would be the way of the Skyborn," Galen said softly. "But no. I'm less of a proper Skyborn than you are."

"What does that mean?"

Galen walked over to a small chest of drawers. He opened one and pulled out a book. A real flimsi book. He walked over and handed it out to them. Anakin cautiously took it. Padmé leaned over so she could read the title. _A Walk in the Sky to Kill the Stars_. She noted the obvious nods to the names Skywalker and Starkiller.

"What is this?" Anakin asked.

"A book," Galen said. "A story. About three Skyborn youths named Ananta, Marek, and Lakshmi."

Anakin tensed at the mentioned at his mother. Galen noticed.

"Did you mother . . . ever mention me?" he asked.

"No, why would she?" Anakin said.

A sad smile crossed Galen's face. "Because she was my mother too."

"What?" Anakin shouted. Both Galen and Padmé jumped.

"We're brothers," Galen said calmly. "Half-brothers. My father is Marek Starkiller." Galen paused as he looked at the man in the bed. "Your father was Ananta Skywalker. Our mother was Lakshmi Breezefarmer."

"You expect me to just believe this?" Anakin asked.

"Anakin," Padmé said placing a hand on his arm.

"We could always compare our DNA if you're that skeptical," Galen said.

"So Lakshmi and Marek were in love," Padmé said. Anakin gave her a confused look. "What happened? Did they plan to use the Lignan to kill the Skywalkers? Is that why she married Ananta? Lure him in with false security?"

Anakin had tensed up. He clearly did not like hearing his mother talked about in such a way.

"No," Galen said. "Lakshmi was in love with Ananta."

"But Marek loved Lakshmi," Padmé guessed.

"Yes. My father loved my mother. And my mother loved my father."

"Wait but . . ." she said.

"And my father loved Ananta," Galen finished. "They all loved each other." He paused as he smiled. "My father told me stories. They met as children in the library of the palace of the Skyborn. They would read books and share stories. They would leave notes for each other for the other to find.

"As the grew older they became much aware of their world. The world of the Skyborn, especially the one ruled by Ananta's father who was the Grand Lord at the time. He was a cruel and twisted lord. Many Skyborn and much more Keshians died due to his whims. Ananta was not found of his father, but came to realize it was the system that had created him. So he wanted to change the system.

"He sought help from Lakshmi and Marek. His friends. His loves. They agreed. The only way to really get rid of the system was to get rid of the Lignan ore. Honestly there wasn't much left after 4,500 years. It was why Ananta's father had been so cruel. So stingy."

Padmé recalled there only being about thirty barrels of the Lignan left. The _Omen_ had been a dreadnought. It had to have been filled with Lignan when it crashed.

"The Lignan would run out in the next few generations, but Ananta decided he would attempt to bring the end sooner. He, Marek, and Lakshmi researched in the great library for a way to destroy the ore. They didn't just want to dump it, lest it be rediscovered. They wanted it gone for good.

"But then my mother, Lakshmi, grew pregnant. She went out into the countryside to hide her pregnancy. My father wanted to marry Lakshmi, but his family outright refused. Starkillers were one of the seven high families. To marry someone as low as Lakshmi was insulting. So I was born a bastard. Hidden away. But then the Grand Lord died and Ananta became the new one. Tensions were high. My mother returned to the palace as she and Marek and Ananta continued to find a way to destroy the Lignan. But Lakshmi grew pregnant again, and since Ananta was the Grand Lord, no one could tell him he couldn't marry her.

"My father felt it was too dangerous. By now, his brother was whipping up support against the Skywalkers. He was right, in the end. His brother killed Ananta. The rest of the Skywalker family fell. The Starkillers were killed for their crime."

Galen paused as he looked at his father. Padmé noticed that Marek looked very old, older than he should.

Galen took a deep breath and continued. "My father wasn't at the palace when the attacks occured. He was in the countryside with me. When he was informed of what happened, he decided to fake his death. The poison he took melted his skin, but the Skyborn are cruel. When one of the high lords came to confirm my father was dead, he stabbed Marek's body with his lightsaber.

"Despite this, my father still lived. He was able to take me to a starship that was hidden in a cave. It was there he ran into Lakshmi. She had freed herself from the Skyborn and fled to the ship herself. They took off, but as you know the ship crashed on Tatooine. My father grabbed me for as I was just a baby. We were thrown far away from your mother.

"I grew up on Tatooine. My father disfigured and ill from his injuries, still looked for your mother every day. He was adamant that Lakshmi and her child were still alive. He would talk about how he would find them. How we would all be together. But of course it never came to pass. My father's health worsened and worsened. I joined the Imperial navy so I could support him.

"When I saw the Emperor introduce Darth Vader, I knew it was you. It was Lakshmi's son. I worked my way into the royal guard, but I didn't know how to approach you. What to even say."

"That was how you were able to enter my room," Anakin said. "You had clearance as a royal guard."

Galen nodded.

"How did you avoid detection?" Anakin asked. "If you are a Skyborn, a Starkiller, surely you're a Force sensitive."

"My father taught me to shield myself. He was afraid that somehow the Skyborn would find us. When you went to Kesh, I volunteered to go on one of the Star Destroyers to monitor your movements for the Emperor."

"So you saw what happened there," Padmé said softly.

Galen shrugged. "I did. I did not lose any sleep over the loss of the Skyborn."

Padmé frowned. She knew Galen had suffered greatly due to the Skyborn, but how, like Anakin, could he be so unphased by their lost?

"And now what?" Anakin asked. "What do you want?"

Galen paused as he looked at Anakin. Padmé could see it. The strong face and cheekbones. The dimpled chin. The two did look alike.

"I just wanted you to know," Galen said. "I thought you knew. At least knew about my father and your father and mother. I just wanted you to know I was alive."

Padmé took the book from Anakin's hand. She looked at the title again. _A Walk in the Sky to Kill the Stars_. The stars . . . The stars were the Lignan.

"It's over, you know," she said. "We destroyed the Lignan. In fact I got the idea from a note Marek left for Lakshmi in a book."

"We used it to kill the Emperor," Anakin said.

Padmé couldn't believe Anakin had openly admitted to it. The official story was the Emperor was old and had died of a sudden stroke. Galen didn't seem surprised.

"Good," he said. "I never liked him. He would have fit right in amongst the other Skyborn."

Anakin nodded at that.

"So now what?" Padmé asked.

Galen took another look at his father. "Would like to come to my place for dinner?" The request took both Anakin and Padmé by surprise. "You could meet my wife and daughter."

Padmé was surprised Anakin agreed. But they did find themselves in a nice high-rise apartment. Galen introduced them to his wife Juno, a lovely human woman with pale light blonde hair, and their baby daughter Ellsie.

"Would you like to hold her?" Juno asked Padmé. Padmé wasn't one for holding babies, but now that she was expecting she couldn't help but say yes. Juno eased the baby into Padmé's arms. The baby stared up at Padmé with big round brown eyes. Anakin leaned over and smiled down at the baby. Ellsie raised her little chubby hands and grabbed towards Anakin.

"Bah," she said. "Bah."

"Do you want to hold her?" Padmé asked.

"I uh . . . Have never held a baby before," Anakin said.

"Well you better start practicing," she said as passed the baby off. Anakin was stiff and awkward. The baby let out a few burbles.

"What's the point of all this?" Anakin whispered softly so Galen and Juno couldn't hear.

"Point of what?" Padmé asked.

"Bringing me here. Introducing me to his wife and daughter. What does he want? Power?"

Padmé thought about it as she watched the baby who was very focused on Anakin.

"Maybe he just wanted you to know you weren't alone," Padmé said softly.

Anakin scoffed and the baby jumped a little in his arms. Her face scrunched up and Anakin froze fearing she would start crying, but she didn't.

"Is that so hard to believe?" Padmé asked. "Isn't that what you wanted? Not to be alone." He shot her a look. "You told me I was the first person to notice you. To really notice you. I think that's all Galen wants. For you to know he exists. You're not alone. He's not alone."

Anakin frowned and the baby's face scrunched up in confusion.

"He's not a Skyborn," Padmé said taking the baby the away from him. Anakin gave her a look. "Or well he's as much of a Skyborn as you if not less. You actually spent time amongst them. And even if he does want something, you can figure it out when he asks."

That night they returned to her apartment instead of the palace. Anakin pulled her into the bedroom, and it wasn't long until they were both naked in the bed. He kissed her all over causing her to giggle. She tried to pull his lips up to hers. A few times she managed. They would share in passionate kisses, and then his lips would slip away. Sometimes to play with her breasts and other times to lavish her much lower. When he finally entered her, she arched her back and moaned.

Afterwards they laid in the bed both holding the other. She closed her eyes as she rested her head against his chest. She listened to the steady beat of his heart. She remembered the book Galen had given them. The one he had written. It was Padmé's first flimsi book. She recalled one of her first conversations with Anakin when he said she was looking for a story. A romance story. In the end she had found it.

It was a story worthy of the Skyborn's palace library. One of betrayal and death. One of love and loss. And while it had ended in the typical Skyborn fashion for Ananta, Lakshmi, and Marek, it had ended differently for their children. The three had broken the cycle they were trying to break. Their children had found love and kept it; at least Padmé hoped that was so.

Padmé would be happy with that book as her only flimsi book. Perhaps she would finished what Galen had started and write the rest of the story out. Perhaps one day she would share it with her own children. Perhaps they would go out in search of their own stories one day. Find their own bookstores. She just hoped that Lakshmi, Ananta, and Marek's sacrifices truly unbound them from the cycle of the Skyborn past. After all the bloodshed, they deserved to be happy, free, and loved.

The End


End file.
